Prior to Styles getting booked was the original foul given for kicking the ball at a player during open play.That's how I remember it and if so I've never seen a foul given for that in my life.
To be honest, decades ago when I used to ref, intentionally kicking the ball at another player was a red card offence. The ball was regarded as an extension of your foot, so it counted as an intentional kick. I'm not sure whether the rules have changed in the meantime, but if he really did intentionally kick the ball at their player, he's a lucky lad.
Eh? Run that by me again, I'm not that sharp. An offence to deliberately kick the ball at an opposing player? I've genuinely never heard that. Doesn't it happen all the time, say when a ball goes over a full backs head, and instead of hoofing it into touch he hits it against this opponent at speed with the aim of it hitting him and going out for a throw? I'm sure I'm missing something like...
So intentionally kicking the ball at an opposition player to gain a corner or throw in should be a red or yellow card offence? Never seen it before....
It was correct at the time (I'm talking a very long time ago, back in 70s). It was up to the ref, it had to be intentional and "aggressive". For example, tapping the ball against the legs of an opponent to try to win a throw or corner was fine, but blasting the ball aggressively against an opponent on the ground was a red card. I've played in games where people have been sent off for it. It's surely not the case today, but it was back then. The problem with you lot is, you're all far too young
I don't think I qualify as young any longer. I'm with you nar, though in the cases I've seen where players have been punished for that kind offence, the ball was dead. If the ball's in play, I reckon a ref would have a hard job interpreting malice in a ball hitting another player.
Well, no I didn't. Hence "he hits it against this opponent at speed with the aim of it hitting him and going out for a throw?" I suppose the difference in interpretation would be if the intention is to harm or hurt the opponent with the ball, but as I said above I reckon that's pretty hard for a ref to interpret during the course of play. Different if the ball goes dead. Wish I could remember the Styles incident properly now though, cos I'm basically making a pointless hypothetical argument!
In one game when I played it was the opposing keeper who was sent off. One of our lads scored in a melee, they all ended up on the ground, and the keeper kicked the ball at our scorer. It was similar to the way you often see the keeper or a defender kick the ball into the back of the net in a fit of disappointment after conceding. The ref sent him straight off.
In a bizarre twist to this story, it was actually the late Keith Styles, a Barnsley referee at the time, who explained it to me on my referee's course back then!
He was my headmaster at St.Marys primary school. He also was filmed at the very beginning of MOTD back in the day with his trademark whistle for kick off and simultaneous kick of his leg if anyone remembers it.
