Manu Vatuvei
Coach
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Lussick stayed on his feet to attempt a charge down and in fact the footage suggests Ilias was barely off the ground himself, if at all. I understood the big markers for foul play in these situations were broadly speaking (a) you hit a guy who's off the ground, putting him in a dangerous position, or (b) you dive in at the legs while he's kicking, risking a leg injury.
I guess on a strict interpretation, if you are attempting a charge down in any way then the onus is on you to not make any contact at all with the legs. That makes it a technical offence without much aggravation, not a severe offence.
If Lussick was attempting a tackle and not a charge down, Ilias could potentially have suffered the exact same injury without there being any offence. It sounds cold-blooded, but surely the main risk factor for injury in this situation was Ilias trying to kick the ball with a defender right on top of him? Obviously anyone who swings their leg into the path of a defender who's clearly coming into contact is at risk of his leg colliding with the defender, or am I missing something?
I guess on a strict interpretation, if you are attempting a charge down in any way then the onus is on you to not make any contact at all with the legs. That makes it a technical offence without much aggravation, not a severe offence.
If Lussick was attempting a tackle and not a charge down, Ilias could potentially have suffered the exact same injury without there being any offence. It sounds cold-blooded, but surely the main risk factor for injury in this situation was Ilias trying to kick the ball with a defender right on top of him? Obviously anyone who swings their leg into the path of a defender who's clearly coming into contact is at risk of his leg colliding with the defender, or am I missing something?