Dangerous Play

[Nevadaref]

Originally Posted by representing

A situation came up in a Varsity Boys Match.

Two opposing players going after ball to play it. The one trips and falls near the ball while the other attempts to kick the ball. As a result, the kicking player accidentally kicks the falling player in the face with the ball and his foot. My partner blows his whistle before I could and calls a dangerous play on the kicking player. My take, as the way I interpreted the NFHS rules is that the falling player puts himself at risk of injury near the opposing player when he fell, albeit accidentally, and therefore the dangerous play should have been called against him (the falling player), and not the kicking player.

I brought this up with the president of our chapter when I saw him a few days later and he said that the call my partner made is right because the kicking player should have held his kick when he saw the opposing player falling accidentally, emphasizing that he fell accidentally and not deliberately. I disagree, as 1) the kicking player was already in his kicking motion while the other was falling, and 2) there is nothing that I see in the rules (NFHS or FIFA) that says a dangerous play must be deliberate or accidental.

Your take?

I agree with you, not your partner or your chapter president.
As you state the facts of the play, I would either call nothing at all or penalize the player who put himself in danger.
Now if I felt that the player attempting to kick the ball could clearly see the fallen player and should have held up and petitioned the referee for a call (players do this by stopping and putting an arm up), then I would penalize the kicker for kicking the opponent and award a DFK.