A player passes the ball towards an attacker who then tries to get to the ball by running around an opponent. What is the correct decision if the defender moves into the attacker’s path and unfairly blocks the attacker’s movement with their body outside the penalty area?

THE DECISION

The referee stops play and awards a direct free kick for impeding the attacker with contact. In addition, if the offence: * is reckless or stops a promising attack – the defender is cautioned (yellow card) * is using excessive force or denies the attacker an obvious goal-scoring opportunity – the defender is sent off (red card)