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Referee
Charles Breakspear |
Former Referee Dermot Gallagher says the red card given to Fulham's Richard Stearman in Saturday's 2-0 Championship home defeat to Middlesbrough was incorrect, with Boro's Jordan Rhodes in his own half.
The offence that Stearman was sent off for is informally known as DOGSO or "denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity" and there in lies Breakspear's error.
"The "last man" is defined as being the last member of the defending side in a position to stop an attacking player having an obvious goal-scoring opportunity.
This is typically the defender in front of the goalkeeper but it can be the goalkeeper.
An obvious goalscoring opportunity means that the attacker has the ball at or near his feet,
is close to the goal area and is moving towards the goal, and has no more than one defender or the goalkeeper in his way.
These are known by referees as the "4 Ds," and
only a foul that has all four must result in a red card"