Last reviewed: May 2025
Pushes
SoccerRule
A player cannot push an opponent. This applies whether the push is with the hands, arms, or body, and regardless of whether the ball is within playing distance.
Common Misconception
A push is only a foul if it's obvious and forceful. Referees call pushes that spectators often don't register because the threshold is carelessness, not knockdown force. A hand extended into an opponent's back during a set piece, an arm used to create separation while running, or a shoulder used to move an opponent sideways without a legitimate ball contest are all pushes under Law 12.
What the Referee Is Watching
Whether the contact was initiated to move or destabilize the opponent rather than to play the ball. Pushing is common at set pieces, where players jostle for position before the ball arrives, and referees have to judge whether the contact crosses from natural jostling into a deliberate push. The ball doesn't need to be nearby. A push away from the ball to prevent an opponent from getting into position is still a foul.
Realistic Example
The Call
At a corner kick, a defender places a hand on an attacker's back and pushes them off their run before the ball arrives. Foul. The ball wasn't within playing distance and the contact was designed to move the opponent, not contest the ball.
The Murky Case
Two players jostle for position in the box as a cross comes in. Both are using their bodies to hold ground. The referee lets it go. The same contact a moment later, once one player has established position and the other uses an arm to move them, gets called. The difference is whether the contact was contesting space or removing an opponent from it.
Last reviewed: May 2025
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