Question Number: 16818

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 9/21/2007

RE: Varsity High School

Norbert Trojanowski of Glen Ridge, NJ USA asks...

My daughter is the goalie of her high school soccer team. She is frequently kicked, run into and knocked down by opposing field players without any penalty being given. It seems like when two field player bump together there is a penalty called but the goalie can be clobbered at will. My daughter was recently knocked to the ground in the process of making a save and the ball was freed from her hands an it was scored a goal. She suffered a concussion. What is the rule regarding protection from the goalie being hurt?

Thank You.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Norbert,
It is a fact that playing keeper is likely the most dangerous position on the soccer field. Safety is supposed to be the major consideration for a referee in maintaining a reasonable, fun and enjoyable playing environment for ALL who come onto the pitch.

Keepers are at greater risk because of the nature of their job. Throwing themselves into the feet or at full stretch in the air are often defenseless against a collision because they are concerned with keeping the ball out of their goal. Most referees realize this fact or they should if they play the game in any capacity!

Now collisions and accidents can occur with no blame or fault attributed in the opinion of the referee witnessing the incident. At times even the keeper will be considered at fault for ensuring the opponent is unsuccessful in their scoring attempt.

Yet if we look at law 12 we see that a keeper has ball possession when the ball is in contact with the arm or hand. If that is so then the keeper is not to be challenged and the opponent MUST try to avoid any and all contact if possible .

"Decision 2
The goalkeeper is considered to be in control of the ball by touching it with any part of his hand or arms. Possession of the ball includes the goalkeeper deliberately parrying the ball, but does not include the circumstances where, in the opinion of the referee, the ball rebounds accidentally from the goalkeeper, for example after he has made a save."

Indirect Free Kick
An indirect free kick is also awarded to the opposing team if a player, in the opinion of the referee:
prevents the goalkeeper from releasing the ball from his hands;

The above two basic concepts indicate no opponent can interfere with this releasing and control process. Now of course all the penal fouls of kick, trip, push, charge, etc are also in the cards so to speak same as any other incident between any two opposing players

" Decision 1
A player who commits a cautionable or sending-off offence, either on or off the field of play, whether directed towards an opponent, a team-mate, the referee, an assistant referee or any other person, is disciplined according to the nature of the offence committed."

A referee must determine if there is contact whether a foul or infringement is absent with no call play on! If merely careless or has occurred thus stop play and restart accordingly or recognize the contact was RECKLESS in that it unnecessarily endangered an opponent or Excessive in that the speed, strength and violent nature of the force used cannot be tolerated.

You ask, "What is the rule of protection for the keeper? It is in the recognition and application of the laws for the protection of all its players in the opinion of the referee. It appears that the opinion of those referees in your child's game could be better viewed with the understanding of the responsibilities he has for players who challenge an opponent where they indiscriminately crash into them not caring about the consequences of that challenge and say, "Oh well I was just trying to get to the ball!"

You cannot always avoid players being hurt or from hurting themselves or each other if they perform a rash action. You can limit such things by good foul recognition and proper discipline to the nature of the offence. Your daughter deserves to be protected from those who unfairly challenge. Each referee in each match controls that precious view!

I can assure you my colleagues here on this panel understand our responsibilities and work hard to ensure keeper's such as your daughter come to no harm or if they do we hold those who do it responsible. I cannot quarantine we are always correct nor that other referees are adequate in dealing with their responsibilities. One can only train and prepare, mentor and share experiences so those referees who are making an effort to get it right do so most of the time!
I will pray your daughter recovers and continues in the game hopefully with better and safer conditions being applied by those charged with the safety of her care!
Just remember that sometimes what looks bad is the blame of everyone but the fault of no one! Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

Begin Rant

To continue Ref Dawson's thoughts if I may. You must look to the "quality" of the referees available in your area and to the "rules" they are bound to enforce. For the most part high school matches in this country are governed by the National Federation of State High School Associations Soccer Rules. Referees assigned high school matches may well be the top of the qualified referees in the area and they may be those passing an open book 100 question true/false examination. That examination is not administered in a classroom environment in this area and it is probably "take home" most places. Passing the test is usually the only requirement to officiate. It is possible your daughter caught a referee on his first match, ever -- though I hope that is not likely.

Far too many associations obtain their soccer officials from those available after all the other sports in the area get theirs. It was like that here until the US Soccer referees revolted and refused to do matches with test only qualified referees. What happened is the powers that be figured out there would be no high school soccer between the San Francisco Bay and Reno and Stockton and Marysville. This area is bigger than most eastern states! Now our referees are at least USSF grade 08 and comfortable on a U-19 boys match. That's here.

In Western Pennsylvania I know soccer referees are basketball and hockey officials with nothing to do when their sports are not being played. From conversations with coaches in that area this scheme doesn't work. This just might be the case where you are. One hopes it probably isn't the case.

When an experienced referee judges contact with opponents and one is the goalkeeper he knows the two are playing "different" games - the attacker is getting the ball with his feet or head and the keeper is using his hands and chest. Therein lies the difficulty! Feet or head against hand or chest. Soft against hard. We must judge what we see by gauging if the attacker has a reasonable chance of winning the ball or he is just out for a bucket of blood. Bottom line is if the keeper is going to get there first the attacker HAD BETTER pull out of the challenge. In the American game of football that is not the case, one is expected to beat the ball away from his opponent, so to is baseball in conjunction with a play on the baselines, home plate being the most dangerous place. What we see is the world's Game played under the mentality of bump and crunch. That usually goes unnoticed by the inexperienced referee. He sees what he sees on television and acts accordingly. No call, bent keeper, big deal.

This referee isn't good for anything else but depleting the gene pool, but he is out there and keeps getting matches assigned just because assignors would rather have him than no referee and no match.

Rant Ends.

Sorry your daughter was hurt and I hope her a speedy recovery. Now as one keeper to another, did you save the goal? In the end that is all that matters, that is our job and sometimes we get hurt doing our job and it is no one's fault nor is it foul play, it just happens as a consequence of doing business...

Regards,

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

Because GKs have to put themselves in danger in a manner other players don't, referees have an obligation to watch carefully and to punish behavior by attackers that takes unfair advantage of the needs of GKs to go high or low for balls. In the case you cite, if your daughter did in fact have the ball in her hands, any subsequent charge, bump, push or other contact by an attacking player is an offense punishable at a minimum by an indirect free kick for the reasons cited by my colleagues above. The goal should not have been allowed. Please be sure to contact your local NFHS referee assignor with your concerns and ask them to please review this type of situation and the appropriate responses with their referees. Hope your daughter has a swift and full recovery. Regards,

Answer provided by Referee Ben Mueller

The keeper is like any other player on the field other than the handling the ball deliberatly in own penalty area. If 2 players collide and the no player is at fault, then no foul should be called...plain and simple. Eachr eferee calls the match differently. Some favor the keeper. I choose not to. If the keeper just plows in to go for ball and bumbs into another player also going for the ball, then in reality nothing should be called. It is different if another player actually fouls keeper however.