Foul call

A foul call is the decision by a referee, umpire or other official that a player has broken a rule governing contact with an opponent or on-field conduct. It is distinct from a purely technical violation of how the ball or body may be played: a foul is an offence committed against another competitor or against the spirit of fair play, such as illegal contact, holding, obstruction, dangerous play or dissent. The official communicates the call in real time, typically with a whistle and a hand signal, a raised arm, a thrown flag or a coloured card, and then either stops play or lets it continue if stopping would punish the team that was fouled.

The result of a foul call is a penalty awarded to the non-offending side, and the exact form of that penalty depends on the sport. In many team sports it is a set restart taken from where the offence happened, while a foul in a defined scoring zone can produce a direct shot at goal or the basket. Repeated or serious fouls, and misconduct such as arguing with officials or violent play, escalate the response from a simple restart to formal cautions, temporary suspension or removal from the game. Because a foul call rests on the official's real-time judgement of contact, intent and effect, it is one of the most closely watched and frequently debated decisions in sport.