A defender passes the ball under pressure from an attacker, who commits a late, reckless tackle shortly after the ball is played by the defender. The ball remains on the field of play, and the attacker’s team gains possession. What is the correct decision?

THE DECISION

The referee stops play and awards a direct free kick to the defender’s team. The attacker is cautioned (yellow card) for unsporting behaviour as the tackle was reckless. The fact that the foul occurred after the ball was played by the defender is irrelevant because the ball was still in play at the time of the offence.