Irish player kicks Ronaldo's ball away after he sets it for a penalty and he slaps him in the face. Ref is standing right there. I can't count how many times I've seen people get sent off for less than that. Ronaldo did miss the penalty so Bruno shouldn't worry about his United job.

https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/pg0rt9/cristiano_ronaldo_throws_a_punch_at_dara_oshea/

Hands to the face is an automatic red card.

Not sure why he wasn't sent off.

Watched it several times. He is trying to push the player in the should and his hand slips off shoulder and goes towards his face. By the reaction of the player, I can't tell if it actually makes contact with the face. Because of his reaction I think it does not make contact with the face. Maybe you have a better view.

Yeah looks like a hard shove to his shoulder.

In the pro international arena of WCQ's probably yellows to both. It was swipe more than a strike and it didn't make more than a fingernail of contact.

CR7 got the last laugh. If not for the saved PK, a hat trick.

TamuKid said:

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Yeah looks like a hard shove to his shoulder.

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Agreed, but the follow through definitely hit the face. The rule book is a little ambiguous on the matter and a good lawyer could argue either side.

Ronaldo deliberately struck the player, and in so doing made contact with the face. Thus it should be a red card.

OTOH he did not "deliberately make contact with the face". He deliberately made contact with the shoulder, and accidentally hit the face.

In battery cases, different jurisdictions interpret statutes both ways. I tend to lean towards it being a red card offense. By intentionally striking him on the shoulder, you basically accept responsibility for anything else that might occur as a result of that strike (within certain limitations). Going back to the battery example, if I punch someone and they fall, hitting their head on the pavement and getting a concussion, I would be liable for that injury in addition to the black eye I gave them with the punch alone.

It's a fairly gray area though so it's not the worst call I've ever seen. And I've watched enough Anthony Taylor masterclasses against Chelsea that bad reffing hardly phases me anymore.

Kampfers said:

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TamuKid said:

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Yeah looks like a hard shove to his shoulder.

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Agreed, but the follow through definitely hit the face. The rule book is a little ambiguous on the matter and a good lawyer could argue either side.

Ronaldo deliberately struck the player, and in so doing made contact with the face. Thus it should be a red card.

OTOH he did not "deliberately make contact with the face". He deliberately made contact with the shoulder, and accidentally hit the face.

In battery cases, different jurisdictions interpret statutes both ways. I tend to lean towards it being a red card offense. By intentionally striking him on the shoulder, you basically accept responsibility for anything else that might occur as a result of that strike (within certain limitations). Going back to the battery example, if I punch someone and they fall, hitting their head on the pavement and getting a concussion, I would be liable for that injury in addition to the black eye I gave them with the punch alone.

It's a fairly gray area though so it's not the worst call I've ever seen. And I've watched enough Anthony Taylor masterclasses against Chelsea that bad reffing hardly phases me anymore.

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Just watched it again 5 times, no way he touches his face. You would have seen a completely different reaction from the player if it had made contact to the face. Just lots of acting after the fact.

I'd tend to agree, he definitely doesn't intend to strike him in the face and I'd say it's at best a "brush" of the face if he does make any contact. Caution them both for unsportsmanlike.

Aston94 said:

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If you are having to debate whether or not he actually made contact with the face and agree it was not deliberate if he did, then no, it is not a red card.

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Well I would have said the same thing about a deflection off the leg and directly onto the arm, but last week apparently everyone decided there was zero room for common sense interpretations and that the "letter of the law" must rule

So I thought a bit of statutory interpretation was in order

Also it was way more interesting to think about that than my real work.

Kampfers said:

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Aston94 said:

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If you are having to debate whether or not he actually made contact with the face and agree it was not deliberate if he did, then no, it is not a red card.

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Well I would have said the same thing about a deflection off the leg and directly onto the arm, but last week apparently everyone decided there was zero room for common sense interpretations and that the "letter of the law" must rule

So I thought a bit of statutory interpretation was in order

Also it was way more interesting to think about that than my real work.

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James didn't get sent off because the ball deflected from his knee to his arm. He got sent off for what he did after that when he took an intentional swing with his elbow to get the ball off the goal line area. It was 100% the correct call.

Ever watch or play Gaelic football? That is how they great each other