To think fouls should only be fouls if they’re on purpose?

MaRhodes · 08/07/2026 08:44

I agree but it would be hard to tell what's deliberate or accidental.
People would just say it was an accident to avoid punishment.

Livelovebehappy · 08/07/2026 08:33

Absolutely agree. Some fouls are clearly accidental, but the player gets penalised. I think they should clamp down more on shirt pulling. Its rife and surely cheating.

MagpiePi · 08/07/2026 08:31

Mumoftwoteenagers · 07/07/2026 18:56

This may make you smile.

www.reddit.com/r/bicycling/comments/2g0sbv/bicyclist_vs_football_players/

Show quote history

This is pretty awesome/gruesome too

Cicely Kyle dislocates finger

The6thQueen · 08/07/2026 08:22

Intent does not negate impact, in football or any other sphere of life. These are supposedly elite athletes at the top of their game. They should be responsible for their choices.

toastofthetown · 08/07/2026 08:14

Nope, as a fellow football non-watcher punishing for intent and not action is ridiculous. It doesn’t matter if someone does a sliding tackle because they dgaf about safety and are happy to break someone’s leg or if it was well intentioned but went too far. It puts other people in danger and that’s unacceptable whether you mean to or not.

Rugby has a similar system (also saying this as a non-rugby watcher) with high tackles. If you do a high tackle you’re sent off and at no point in the assessment do they take into account what you meant to do. It’s only what you did and whether you did anything to try to mitigate the head contact. It’s a harsh system but if players know they and their teams will be harshly punished for every instance of dangerous plays they’re more likely to avoid it and everyone is safer as a result.

IvyEvolveFree · 08/07/2026 08:09

This a gateway to a great discussion on legal theory! 😄

MyGlassMenagerie · 08/07/2026 08:05

What about fouls due to reckless behaviour OP? I.e., not technically deliberate, but could have feasibly been predicted by the perpetrator to cause harm.

NotAnotherScarf · 08/07/2026 08:03

By that argument if I was defending and walked backward into a player about to score it wouldn't be a foul...but i could have intentionally have do everything that. Plus 95% of fouls are accidentally done...I go to kick the ball like Kane did and another player gets there faster, like the Mexican did...its a foul

MyThreeWords · 08/07/2026 08:02

MouldEight · 07/07/2026 18:35

Watching the World Cup and it seems very harsh to be getting yellow and red cards and penalties given for fouls which are accidental, doesn’t it?

This is like saying that we shouldn't be punished if our careless driving causes us to knock over a pedestrian.

Sometimes intent is less relevant than outcome, especially in situations where we have to be adequately trained and knowledgeable just to be on the pitch/get in the driver's seat..

Wingwalk · 08/07/2026 08:01

Honeyhonayboo · 07/07/2026 18:36

How would you determine intent though?

You could ask them 😂

Agix · 08/07/2026 07:59

And a dangerous driving charge should only be if the intent was malicious too, I suppose?

Fouls without intent are fouls because the player did something dangerous.

Sartre · 08/07/2026 07:57

If you mean the studs up foul from England, that’s been a rule for many years and footballers are trained from an early age how to avoid it. He was an idiot.

HoskinsChoice · 08/07/2026 07:55

Hi Donald! Great point. Really, really great point. The greatest point about football ever. You could make football great again.

PenelopeJoanSterling · 07/07/2026 19:05

the problem is they would all use different tatics and strategies to win

Mumoftwoteenagers · 07/07/2026 18:56

NeverDropYourMooncup · 07/07/2026 18:42

Have you not watched football before? It's a combination of supposedly fit and strong men falling over blades of grass to roll around as though they've just stood on a landmine and others claimed they never done nuffink, it's all a fit up and they never meant to hurt him, it was an accident, honest, when there are stud prints all over the player they just took out in front of x million viewers.

This may make you smile.

www.reddit.com/r/bicycling/comments/2g0sbv/bicyclist_vs_football_players/

Livpool · 07/07/2026 18:46

You can’t prove intent though. All fouls should be accidental really

SeamusPlinth · 07/07/2026 18:46

There is a school of thought that says that anything that happens on a football pitch is intentional certainly in the world cup and premier league.

bridgetreilly · 07/07/2026 18:44

Nope. It’s their job to make sure they don’t break the rules.

BiddlyBipBipBeeBop · 07/07/2026 18:43

Many technically accidental fouls are caused by misjudgement and sometimes recklessness. The player on the receiving end can have their career ended by injury whether it was intentional or not. Penalising encourages caution and protects player safety.

GoodkneeBadKnee · 07/07/2026 18:43

MouldEight · 07/07/2026 18:41

Yes!

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That explains it🤣

thistimelastweek · 07/07/2026 18:42

MouldEight · 07/07/2026 18:41

Yes!

Show quote history

Thought so.

NeverDropYourMooncup · 07/07/2026 18:42

Have you not watched football before? It's a combination of supposedly fit and strong men falling over blades of grass to roll around as though they've just stood on a landmine and others claimed they never done nuffink, it's all a fit up and they never meant to hurt him, it was an accident, honest, when there are stud prints all over the player they just took out in front of x million viewers.

Original poster

MouldEight · 07/07/2026 18:41

thistimelastweek · 07/07/2026 18:38

OP, is your perspective that of someone who doesn't normally follow football?

Yes!

OP posts:

Conchiglie · 07/07/2026 18:40

There's a grey area where a foul is unintentional but still could be dangerous. I would say that Quansah's falls into this category. It's to protect the players from injury.

thistimelastweek · 07/07/2026 18:38

OP, is your perspective that of someone who doesn't normally follow football?