Last reviewed: May 2025
Tackles or challenges
SoccerRule
A player cannot tackle or challenge an opponent carelessly, recklessly, or with excessive force. A tackle is an attempt to win the ball from an opponent using the feet. A challenge is a physical contest for the ball, on the ground or in the air. Both are legal. Both become fouls when the standard isn't met.
Common Misconception
If the defender got the ball, it's not a foul. This is the most persistent misconception in youth soccer and it's wrong. Getting the ball is relevant but not decisive. A tackle that wins the ball cleanly but follows through into the opponent's leg with unnecessary force is still a foul. The referee is judging the entire action, not just the moment of contact with the ball.
What the Referee Is Watching
The timing, force, and follow-through of the tackle. A well-timed sliding tackle that takes the ball and leaves the opponent room to continue is clean. A late tackle that arrives after the ball has gone, or one where the studs are up and aimed at the opponent's leg, is a foul regardless of whether the ball was also touched. Referees watch the plant foot and the angle of the tackling leg as much as the contact itself. A two-footed tackle is almost always reckless or excessive force by definition because of the force it generates and the limited ability to control the outcome.
Realistic Example
The Call
A defender slides and takes the ball cleanly, but the follow-through sweeps the attacker's standing leg. Foul. The initial touch on the ball doesn't absorb the careless contact that followed.
The Murky Case
A defender makes a strong tackle and wins the ball, but the attacker goes down hard. The crowd calls for a card. The referee plays on. Whether force was excessive depends on what was needed to win that particular ball in that particular moment. A strong tackle on a fast-moving ball in a tight space is judged differently than the same force applied to a slow rolling ball with time and room to be more careful. Winning the ball convincingly is context, not a defense.
Last reviewed: May 2025
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