Question Number: 16623

Mechanics 9/9/2007

RE: Competitive Under 19

Jed of Sunshine Coast, Queensland Australia asks...

Here's one for you regarding Law 3, purely hypothetical, but still puzzling me.
In the dying moments of a match, a goalkeeper for the blue team is injured in a 50-50 ball with red team's striker. The red team's striker has a firm grasp of the idea of football etiquette, and therefore is nice enough to thump the ball over the goal line when he realises he has inadvertantly injured the blue goalkeeper. Goalkeeper is now up, but is bleeding, so leaves the field to get his wounds patched up. The blue team has used all their substitutions, so cannot replace him with the reserve keeper. When a player leaves the field for treatment, they are still considered a player, right? So can the game continue, with the blue team having only 10 players (not including the keeper) on the field, while the keeper is off the field getting patched up? Seems like a dumb thing to do, but dumb things happen (especially at my level) and I couldn't find any reference to this type of situation in Laws of the Game, or Q&A. If a team wished to do this, as a referee can I let them continue without a goalkeeper on the field in this situation?

Answer provided by Referee Ben Mueller

The laws state that each team must have a keeper. The keeper is still a player while he is receiving treatment and thus that team still has a keeper. The wise team would make another field player exchange places with the keeper while the keeper is receiving treatment.

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

The goalkeeper is treated on the field and the match is delayed until he is fit! He does not leave like other players and this may be found in the Additional Instructions and Guidance part of the Laws of the Game on page 71 [.pdf version]. I have seen a keeper have an open wound butterflied closed whilst he sat infront of his goal. This took more than five minutes. Been listening to that assessor again?

Oh yeah, in the event he is not able to be treated on the field in a reasonable time another player will become the goalkeeper and things will continue. When he is fit he is returned to the field of play as an outfield player and then he changes places with the current keeper. The reference for this is in Law 3, changing the goalkeeper. Allow for time lost in accordance with Law 7.

Regards,

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

The keeper may be treated on the field. If he CANNOT continue and the team has no more allowed substitutes, then 1 of the field players must don the keeper jersey as all teams MUST have a keeper. They don't have to have 11 players but whatever number they do have has to include a keeper

Answer provided by Referee Steve Montanino

A player must be dressed as the goalkeeper or else the match may not restart. Either you wait for the goalkeeper to get treated, or if that won't happen in a quick enough time frame, you have one of the outfield players put on a keeper shirt and get on with it.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Usually a team will not be forced to switch a keeper as a keeper is the only player that can recieve treatment on the field without being required to leave. If the injury is serious then at least a replacement keeper from those on the field if subs are limited or if subs unlimited best switch until treatment is finalized if indeed he can return at all safely.
No match can continue without a designated keeper!
Cheers