Question Number: 17991

Law 9 - The Ball in and out of Play 11/24/2007

RE: competitive Other

ricky of philadelphia, pa usa asks...

I was playing goalie and i caught the ball just on the edge of the 18 yard box towards the center of the field, one of my foot stepped out of the box but the ball didn't go out of the box The ref said it was an infraction and awarded a direct free kick. I know that the entire ball has to go over the touch line or goal line to be out of bound but does it apply in this case.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Ricky,
yes it applies . If a referee awarded a DFK for your foot being out of the penalty area that referee is in need of some help. Report this to the local league and ensure the proper information is communicated in training. If a referee felt the ball was in fact deliberately handled outside the penalty area and it was not, as an opinion, mistaken though it might be, it is uncontestable.
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

All of the ball has to be all of the way out of the penalty area, on the field, and in your hands in order for a direct free kick to be awarded against you, the goalkeeper, for deliberately handling the ball. It really makes no difference where YOU are, only where the ball is. Like Ref Dawson, I urge you to contact the assignor for the league, the state referee administrator or state director of instruction. Be sure to give them the date, time, field and age group, along with your contact info. You can tell them we said to call...

Answer provided by Referee Ben Mueller

It matters where the ball is here. If any part of the ball was in the penalty area, then it was a bad call.

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

Law 9 applies here and it states the whole of the ball must cross the whole of the line. Law 1 states these lines belong to the areas of which they are the boundaries. Law 1 also defines the penalty area. Law 12 states, by exception, the keeper is entitled to handle a ball within his penalty area when it says this: handles the ball deliberately [except for the goalkeeper within his own penalty area].

So where are we here? You have the ball in your hands. You have a foot outside of your penalty area. The referee said this is an infraction. Guess what? It is an infraction on this match with this referee because right or wrong the referee is right.

What needs doing is the referee needs correcting OR if he meant the ball was outside the penalty area and was in your hands so your eyes need recalibration. Right, if the referee needs correction he needs to be identified before he may be asked on what his opinion was based. Ref Mahoney offers a way to start the process.

Regards,