Professional foul Professional foul In various sports, a professional foul is a deliberate act of foul play intended to bring about an advantage for the perpetrator's team. Professional fouls are usually committed to prevent an opponent from scoring. In association football, a professional foul involves a defender fouling an attacking player in order to prevent them from scoring, or a handball offence that denied an obvious goal-scoring opportunity. The resulting free kick or penalty may offer the attacking team a lower chance of scoring than the original playing position, and the defending player therefore has an incentive to tactically foul the attacking
Fouls and misconduct (association football) Game document. The IFAB's Practical Guidelines for Match Officials outlines the considerations a referee must make when deciding whether to play advantage; these include the severity and position of the offence, the potential for an immediate promising attack and the atmosphere of the match. Advantage can also be applied even if the referee decides to caution the player for an offence. Play is allowed to continue, but at the next stoppage in play the caution must be issued and the yellow card displayed. However, advantage should not be applied in situations involving serious foul play, violent conduct or a second