I’m genuinely curious here from anyone who’s been/trained as a ref. Why do refs tend to wait for the outcome of a tackle/coming together and only call a foul if the player getting fouled loses the ball or goes to ground?
I can’t help but worry that there’s definitely a problematic element of encouraging either diving or fouling a player back from this sort of situation. It’s not the same as an advantage either, I understand the point about keeping the game going but is that the responsibility of a referee?
I’ve definitely played in games where refs have arguably endangered players by not punishing wild/vicious tackling and just wonder if it’s actually in the rules or just a cultural thing?
As part of the rules, they want to see if there is any advantage. That is why referees carry their whistles in their hands, and hold them in their mouths. It gives them a natural delay to see play develop first.