What constitutes a double foul in football?

A double foul occurs when both teams commit fouls that offset each other during the same play. This means that the fouls happen simultaneously or in a manner that they can be considered together, and they typically cancel each other out in terms of penalties. The rules are designed to maintain fairness and balance in the game; thus, if both teams commit a foul in a similar manner, the penalties may be ignored, keeping the game moving without giving either team an unfair advantage.

In this case, the other options describe different scenarios. A foul committed by a player not in the game refers to an infraction that doesn’t fall under the definition of a double foul, as it only involves one team. A single foul committed by each team, while it sounds similar, does not qualify as a double foul unless both fouls occurred at the same time during the play. Lastly, any foul that occurs simultaneously does not specifically address the fact that both fouls must be committed by opposing teams to count as a double foul. Thus, identifying that both teams are involved in the infractions is crucial to understanding why this definition is correct in the context of football rules.