Obstruction and indirect free kicks. What has happened to them? Obstruction used to be an easy way for a referee to give a free kick in the area without awarding a penalty but they only seem to give it for the goalie picking a pass back up nowadays. Indirect free kicks have disappeared altogether.
And why do forwards get penalised for turning a defender by using their body but defenders (mostly full backs) can obstruct the forward from getting the ball whilst it rolls over the goal line. Stupid referees!
This. As far as I am concerned there has to be a valid attempt to the play the ball which shielding it out really isn't. If a midfielder shielded a ball like that back to his centre half it would be a free kick.