What the heck is a DOGSO anyway?

So, maybe you're newer to footy and have started to try to learn more because some friends have told you global football (futbol) is a great sport. You're trying to follow but have run into some terms that you don't understand but don't want to ask about, like is found in this blog's title.

What's a DOGSO anyway?

DOGSO stands for denying a goal or an obvious goal-scoring opportunity.

"Where a player commits an offence against an opponent within their own penalty area which denies an opponent an obvious goal-scoring opportunity and the referee awards a penalty kick, the offender is cautioned if the offence was an attempt to play the ball or a challenge for the ball; in all other circumstances (e.g. holding, pulling, pushing, no possibility to play the ball etc.), the offending player must be sent off" (Laws of the Game, 2023-24, p. 107). And, a goalkeeper is just like any other player outside the penalty area.

OK. What happens when a DOGSO occurs?

Offended team gets a penalty kick (PK).

"Where a player denies the opposing team a goal or an obvious goal-scoring opportunity by a handball offence, the player is sent off wherever the offence occurs (except a goalkeeper within their penalty area).

A player, sent-off player, substitute or substituted player who enters the field of play without the required referee’s permission and interferes with play or an opponent and denies the opposing team a goal or an obvious goal-scoring opportunity is guilty of a sending-off offence.

The following must be considered:

distance between the offence and the goal
general direction of the play
likelihood of keeping or gaining control of the ball
location and number of defenders" (ibid, p. 108).

Well, that's not so difficult to fathom, you might be thinking, and you're right.

However, in a real-time match, which is entirely controlled by the referee once it begins, determining some of those bullet points can be difficult, even with the aid of VAR and people will nearly always complain about the decision.

It's week 3 in the NWSL season and there have already been a few of those decisions that, especially to those newer to the sport, have seemed—at best and charitably—terribly ambiguous.

You may still not be ready to grab a whistle and officiate, but at least you can sound really smart when you explain to your friends, "Oh, they're reviewing whether it's a DOGSO or not."

NWSLines will remain vigilant for terminology that may be unclear to new fans, as we, too, are learning as we go, and are interested in educating fans just like you.

Besides, any reason to include a dog image in our blog, should be entertained.