| Case Study # | 13-2013 |
| Date | 6 Apr 2013 |
| Competition | Barclays Premier League |
| Fixture/Result | WBA 1 – 2 Arsenal |
| Referee/Badge | Howard Webb, FIFA |
| At Issue | Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker’s elbow strikes West Bromwich Albion defender Gareth McAuley in the face. What is the appropriate action by the referee? |
During a WBA corner kick in minute 57, Mertesacker appears to elbow WBA defender Gareth McAuley in the face, raising a nasty bruise near the center back’s right eye. Review the frames and video below.
You can click on the first image to see all of the images in a full screen slide show.
Video
In The Opinion Of The Referee 
One response to “Case Study: That's Gooner Leave A Mark”
Let me preface by saying that I did not watch this game. My arguments are based on the evidence shown here. From the video, the defender was not even looking at the player when he went up for the header. The defender went straight up as well while the attacker came lunging in to head the ball. The position of the defenders arm is not in position in a way to inflict any kind of damage into anybody UNLESS you run straight into his elbow which the attacker did. Now as a coach, I teach my players to use their arms as a way to further propel their bodies into the air when heading the ball. So I can understand why this would not be called a foul.
LikeLike