Question Number: 14289

Law 16 - Goal Kick 10/27/2006

RE: Select Under 14

Franco of Bloomington, IN USA asks...

Law 16
Goalkeeper takng the GK.

The law states that if the keeper deliberately handles the ball before it touches anoter player an indirect free kick will be given if the infringement occured inside the Goalkeepers penalty area.

To be a legal GK it has to exit the penalty area so how would this scenario happen? If it occured in his own penalty area and no player touched it, it sounds like it was never a legal GK since it never left the area and the kick should be retaken. How would it exit, legal GK, nobody touches, it comes back into the penalty area and the keeper picks it up in his or her hands?

Franco

Answer provided by Referee Ben Mueller

If the ball never left the penalty area, then it would be a rekick. If the ball leaves penalty area and keeper touches ball with any body part besides hand before any other player does = IFK. If he touches it with hands deliberatly = dfk.

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

I trust you have never seen a match where the wind conditions were such the ball leaves the penalty area and is blown back. Here the keeper handling the ball is an indirect free kick offense, just like Law 16 states. The Law has been written to cover all contingencies. Here are the two contingencies covered in Law 16

Goal kick taken by the goalkeeper:

If, after the ball is in play, the goalkeeper touches the ball a second time (except with his hands) before it has touched another player:

an indirect free kick is awarded to the opposing team, the kick to be taken from the place where the infringement occurred.

If, after the ball is in play, the goalkeeper deliberately handles the ball before it has touched another player:

a direct free kick is awarded to the opposing team if the infringement occurred outside the goalkeeper's penalty area, the kick to be taken from the place where the infringement occurred

an indirect free kick is awarded to the opposing team if the infringement occurred inside the goalkeeper?s penalty area, the kick to be taken from the place where the infringement occurred.

Notice, in reading, the answer to your question was foreseen.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Another way this can happen is if the ball clears the penalty area, hits the referee and bounces back into the penalty area. Ball in play but keeper cannot touch it as it has not been touched by another player. Thanks for question

The following questions were asked as a follow up to the above question...

See Question: 14436