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Penalties
Clear Line

Penalties

Penalty area incidents cover several common situations: handball, holding, pushing, shirt pulling, tripping, stepping on the foot, simulation, who played the ball first, and actions by goalkeepers. We examine what referees must consider in their decision-making, and where VAR should intervene if required.
Overview Handball Holding / pushing Tripping Stepping on foot Who played the ball? Goalkeepers Simulation Overview Handball Holding / pushing Tripping Stepping on foot Who played the ball? Goalkeepers Simulation

Tripping

 Where there is a potential trip, referees must consider the extent of contact, who initiates it and whether the defender also plays the ball.

  • VAR should recommend a penalty where a player clearly trips an opponent.
  • VAR should recommend cancelling a penalty where the defender clearly plays the ball and any subsequent contact is a natural consequence of the challenge or where the attacker clearly initiates or provokes the contact.
  • If it is difficult to assess the effect of the contact, VAR should not intervene.

The rationale

Legs touch in almost every challenge, so contact alone is not enough to make a decision. The referee must distinguish a challenge that brought the attacker down from one where the ball was played and the players’ legs came together afterwards.

Playing the ball first is usually the decisive factor, but not always. A challenge that is reckless or uses excessive force is still an offence, whoever reached the ball first.

What referees consider when making a decision

  • Did the defender place a leg, foot or their body in the path of the attacker, causing them to stumble, lose balance or fall?
  • Did the defender place their leg, foot or body in the path of the attacker without playing or legitimately shielding the ball?
  • Did the attacker provoke the contact?

When the defender clearly plays the ball, in principle, any subsequent trip is a result of a natural challenge and normally should not be penalised – unless it is deemed reckless or to have used excessive force. A slight touch or minor deviation of the ball is not automatically considered "clearly playing the ball".

✅ When VAR should recommend a penalty

VAR reviews the footage and recommends the referee looks again when:

  • a player clearly trips an opponent (Video 1)
Video 1 – Tripping: Clear tripping

✅ When VAR should recommend cancelling a penalty

• The protocol works both ways, meaning the review can also show that a penalty should not stand if:

  • a defender clearly plays the ball and any subsequent contact with the opponent is not considered reckless, but a natural consequence of the challenge (Video 2)
  • an attacker clearly initiates or provokes contact with a defender who has committed no offence (Video 3)

Video 2 – Tripping: Defender clearly plays ball

Video 3 – Tripping: Attacker initiates contact

❌ When VAR should not intervene

  • if there is a leg-to-leg, foot-to-foot or body-to-body contact, but no genuine tripping offence
  • if it is difficult to assess the impact of the contact

A decision standing after a check is not VAR failing to act. It means VAR has found no clear and obvious error to correct.