# In Soccer, Is It A Thing To Kick The Ball At Your Opponent's Dick? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [June 17, 2018, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-soccer-is-it-a-thing-to-kick-the-ball-at-your-opponents-dick/816271 "2018-06-17T17:21:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2018, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-soccer-is-it-a-thing-to-kick-the-ball-at-your-opponents-dick/816271/1 "2018-06-17T17:21:36Z")
I’ve noticed this before, but watching the World Cup reminds me of this question I’ve had. I’ve noticed that during some set pieces, some members of the opposing team (but not necessarily all of them) will cover their junk with their hands. Is this to protect against an unlikely scenario, or are players sometimes known to accidentally-on-purpose launch the ball towards their opponents willies? ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2018, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-soccer-is-it-a-thing-to-kick-the-ball-at-your-opponents-dick/816271/2 "2018-06-17T17:29:31Z")
No. On free kicks sometimes the kick taker will deliberately go low. It is not to attempt to geld his opponents but to achieve either. 1. Ball looping off a defender permitting the attacking team to get an easy shot on goal. or more commonly 2. Get it through the wall and catch the keeper off guard and off sighted. The “cupping” is to prevent the family jewels from being hit accidentally. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2018, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-soccer-is-it-a-thing-to-kick-the-ball-at-your-opponents-dick/816271/3 "2018-06-17T17:32:42Z")
Hey, nobody is intentionally wasting a free kick by trying to injure an opponent. Maybe that happens in youth games, but not at the professional level. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2018, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-soccer-is-it-a-thing-to-kick-the-ball-at-your-opponents-dick/816271/4 "2018-06-17T17:35:01Z")
Won’t put it beyond Ramos, if he thought he could get away with it. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2018, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-soccer-is-it-a-thing-to-kick-the-ball-at-your-opponents-dick/816271/5 "2018-06-17T18:03:27Z")
Anyone with that kind of accuracy would probably rather use it to score goals. ---
**Author:** ![polar\_bear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ec9cab/32.png) [@polar\_bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/polar_bear)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2018, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-soccer-is-it-a-thing-to-kick-the-ball-at-your-opponents-dick/816271/6 "2018-06-17T18:23:39Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > Anyone with that kind of accuracy would probably rather use it to score goals. Not Ramos. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2018, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-soccer-is-it-a-thing-to-kick-the-ball-at-your-opponents-dick/816271/7 "2018-06-17T18:33:56Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > Anyone with that kind of accuracy would probably rather use it to score goals. I think people would prefer to score goals, but I think getting a shot over a wall, down on net, and with enough pace to beat a keeper is significantly more difficult than hitting a dick 10 yards away directly in front of you. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-soccer-is-it-a-thing-to-kick-the-ball-at-your-opponents-dick/816271/8 "2018-06-18T05:21:58Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > I think people would prefer to score goals, but I think getting a shot over a wall, down on net, and with enough pace to beat a keeper is significantly more difficult than hitting a dick 10 yards away directly in front of you. Especially if the dick is Ramos. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Chisquirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Chisquirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chisquirrel)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 8:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-soccer-is-it-a-thing-to-kick-the-ball-at-your-opponents-dick/816271/9 "2018-06-18T08:58:02Z")
Anyone have a Ramos clip or video? I feel like I’m missing out. ---
**Author:** ![Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/les_espaces_du_sommeil/32/308_2.png) [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Les_Espaces_Du_Sommeil)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-soccer-is-it-a-thing-to-kick-the-ball-at-your-opponents-dick/816271/10 "2018-06-18T09:26:03Z")
I guess it’s possible that some players do it on purpose but it’s kind of a dick move. What I can tell you for sure is that it definitely was a tactic used in youth games in handball, as this former goalkeeper can painfully attest. Aim for the face or junk for the first couple of shots in order to intimidate the opponent. The game had to be interrupted while I was… er… taken care off and I remember the opposing team’s coach telling his players to cool it. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-soccer-is-it-a-thing-to-kick-the-ball-at-your-opponents-dick/816271/11 "2018-06-18T13:06:02Z")
> [@polar\_bear](#): > > Not Ramos. Why, is he cocky? mmm ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-soccer-is-it-a-thing-to-kick-the-ball-at-your-opponents-dick/816271/12 "2018-06-18T13:44:31Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > I think people would prefer to score goals, but I think getting a shot over a wall, down on net, and with enough pace to beat a keeper is significantly more difficult than hitting a dick 10 yards away directly in front of you. Sure, but if you can reliably expect to hit someone in the junk you have a good shot at goal, and if you couldn’t hit either you’re not going to be picked to take the kick. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-soccer-is-it-a-thing-to-kick-the-ball-at-your-opponents-dick/816271/13 "2018-06-18T14:07:00Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Why, is he cocky? He was until last year when someone trademarked the term. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-soccer-is-it-a-thing-to-kick-the-ball-at-your-opponents-dick/816271/14 "2018-06-18T14:12:02Z")
There are so few goals in World Cup games that I can’t possibly imagine wasting a penalty kick on anything. Better would be a hard tackle that would take out the knee or ankle of your opponent, but that could very well get you a Red Card and an ejection, so it would have to be done near the end of a game in a situation where it would no longer matter. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-soccer-is-it-a-thing-to-kick-the-ball-at-your-opponents-dick/816271/15 "2018-06-18T14:53:57Z")
> [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](#): > > I guess it’s possible that some players do it on purpose but it’s kind of a dick move. No it’s literally a dick move. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-soccer-is-it-a-thing-to-kick-the-ball-at-your-opponents-dick/816271/16 "2018-06-18T15:08:01Z")
> [@Chisquirrel](#): > > Anyone have a Ramos clip or video? I feel like I’m missing out. Sergio Ramos. Captain of Spain and Real Madrid. Player with an overstuffed trophy cabinet. And a list of major infractions which if written down would probably form a list long enough to wrap around the planet. Here. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FzlbZWFh54](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FzlbZWFh54) ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-soccer-is-it-a-thing-to-kick-the-ball-at-your-opponents-dick/816271/17 "2018-06-18T15:26:40Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Sergio Ramos. Captain of Spain and Real Madrid. Player with an overstuffed trophy cabinet. And a list of major infractions which if written down would probably form a list long enough to wrap around the planet. > > Here. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FzlbZWFh54](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FzlbZWFh54) I love the dramatic music while you see a guy slap and trip people like a toddler throwing a tantrum. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-soccer-is-it-a-thing-to-kick-the-ball-at-your-opponents-dick/816271/18 "2018-06-18T16:15:23Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > There are so few goals in World Cup games that I can’t possibly imagine wasting a penalty kick on anything. Better would be a hard tackle that would take out the knee or ankle of your opponent, but that could very well get you a Red Card and an ejection, so it would have to be done near the end of a game in a situation where it would no longer matter. That would automatically get you a suspension for some future matches, could get you fined, and unless you can camouflage the injury as the accidental result of an attempt at a clean tackle, you could get charged with a crime: [Welsh soccer player sentenced to jail time after brutal tackle](https://www.si.com/planet-futbol/2016/08/23/nicholas-williams-cefn-albion-sentenced-jail-time-brutal-tackle) ---
**Author:** ![senoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dbc845/32.png) [@senoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/senoy)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-soccer-is-it-a-thing-to-kick-the-ball-at-your-opponents-dick/816271/19 "2018-06-18T18:48:32Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Sergio Ramos. Captain of Spain and Real Madrid. Player with an overstuffed trophy cabinet. And a list of major infractions which if written down would probably form a list long enough to wrap around the planet. > > Here. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FzlbZWFh54](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FzlbZWFh54) I’m a soccer fan and not a Ramos or RM fan, but I think that this video is why people dislike soccer. Ramos is portrayed as a dirty player, but half of those dirty plays are mild contact with great acting by the victim. I would describe him as an aggressive player that likes to skirt the line. Most of what he does in any sport except soccer would get lauded as gamesmanship. In soccer for some reason, almost all contact is heavily policed, so it gets called dirty play. So, to answer the question, it would be very rare for someone to kick the ball directly at another person’s junk because there’s a heavy chance they’d get red carded. ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a8b319/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_wuzzy)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-soccer-is-it-a-thing-to-kick-the-ball-at-your-opponents-dick/816271/20 "2018-06-18T20:50:11Z")
> [@senoy](#): > > I’m a soccer fan and not a Ramos or RM fan, but I think that this video is why people dislike soccer. Ramos is portrayed as a dirty player, but half of those dirty plays are mild contact with great acting by the victim. I would describe him as an aggressive player that likes to skirt the line. Most of what he does in any sport except soccer would get lauded as gamesmanship. In soccer for some reason, almost all contact is heavily policed, so it gets called dirty play. So, to answer the question, it would be very rare for someone to kick the ball directly at another person’s junk because there’s a heavy chance they’d get red carded. I don’t believe many(if any) players would get sent off for kicking the ball at another players nuts. It would take such accuracy referees would not interpret it as intentional. The funniest incident I have seen along those lines is Andy Goram smacking the ball against Paolo DiCanio twice in very quick succession. It was almost certainly intentional but impossible to prove that it was. That is probably why the referee took no action. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-soccer-is-it-a-thing-to-kick-the-ball-at-your-opponents-dick/816271.md?page=2)