The Obstruction Law

[Footapper]

Can anybody tell me when this law was changed.
When I played football many years ago obstruction was when 1 player deliberately stopped another player getting at the ball by making sure that he was in the way.
As far as I am aware this law has never been changed. So why r players allowed to wast time by taking the ball into the corner and obstructing another player from getting it. This is common practice but surely not what the punters want to watch. If this happens in open play the ref will often blow up for obstruction. What is the difference?

[BBK]

I was thinking about obstruction law myself just last night, when Neville won the ball and was then charged with obstruction. Its another of these open to interpretation laws isnt it. As far as I'm concerned (simplified!) if you have the ball I don't see how you can be charged with obstruction, as your JOB as a player is to keep the ball. Obstruction should be an off the ball thing.

[-G-Man-]

the difference is when you attempt to obstruct the opposing player instead of actually trying to play the ball, if you get what i mean.

[Footapper]

Surely if u r deliberately stopping another player having a fair chance of playing the ball as they do when shepherding the ball out or corner time wasting that's got to b obstruction. What would the ref do if all the players on 1 side formed a tight circle and kept the ball in the middle stopping any of the other team being able 2 get at it. That's no different 2 one player doing it at the corner flag. If it is ok to do that then away teams would get a draw every time. Obstruction is obstruction wherever it takes place. The game would b much better if the refs stopped it & reverted back to the old interpretation of the law.

[big man]

Obstruction is when a player who doesn't have control of the ball stops an opposition player from either getting to it, or challenging for it fairly (afaik)

Just turning your back on someone when you have control of the ball, is definitely not obstruction. Cutting across someone's run when they are going for the ball is

I absolutely hate it when player run the ball into the corner, but by no means is it obstruction, so therefore it's allowed

[BBK]

Now thats what I was trying to say big man

[Footapper]

I fail 2 c how a player can b deemed 2 b in control of the ball when he is shepherding it out of play when he has not even touched it.