A counter-attack can be ended by a single foul committed within a second of the turnover. The exchange is deliberate, and understanding why teams accept the punishment explains why the practice persists.
The value of the seconds is enormous
The advantage in a counter comes from the defending team being out of shape, and shape is recovered in a handful of seconds.
A foul stops the clock on that advantage entirely. By the time the free kick is taken, every defender has walked back into position.
What is given up is a free kick in a harmless area. What is prevented is an attack that might have arrived at goal with defenders outnumbered.
The foul is committed as early as possible
The most effective moment is on the first pass or the first carry, before the attack has covered any ground and while the offence still looks minor.
A foul committed later, closer to goal and with the attack clearly developing, risks a red card for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity.
Players therefore learn to recognise the moment immediately after a turnover as the window where the cost is a caution rather than a dismissal.
Possession teams use it more than defensive ones
A team that commits players forward is the most exposed to counters, so the teams that foul tactically most often are frequently the ones dominating the ball.
The nearest player to the turnover is usually a midfielder or an advanced full-back, which is why cautions cluster in those positions.
Some squads spread the offences across several players deliberately, so that no individual accumulates cards to the point of suspension.
Officiating decides how attractive it is
Where referees caution consistently and early for these fouls, the calculation shifts, because a player carrying a caution cannot commit the next one.
Where the first offence is treated as a routine free kick, the practice becomes close to free and teams use it repeatedly.
Governing bodies have periodically discussed treating persistent transition fouls as a distinct offence, since the current framework judges each foul in isolation rather than as a pattern.
Attacking teams have limited answers
The most reliable response is speed of release. A pass played before the nearest opponent arrives removes the opportunity to foul at all.
The other is to play through it, since a foul is only effective if the referee stops the game, and advantage may be played if the attack survives the contact.
Neither fully solves the problem, which is why the tactical foul remains one of the more effective defensive actions available in open play.