Question Number: 18841

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 4/21/2008

RE: High School

Trevor of Alsip, Illinois USA asks...

At what point is it considered that the goalie has control of the ball and can no longer be kicked? We had a play where the goalie dove on the ground and had 1 hand on the ball, then the attacker kicked it in the net. Is this a foul and what is the restart? I also saw a ref in the u-10 division after awarding a goal kick, he decided to start explain something to 2 of the retreating players. While pausing them the goal kick took place while the ref was "holding up" 2 of the defenders. The result was a goal scored by the other team. Is there any action as a coach/ parent can take against this behavior.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

Trevor, I'm surprised you don't know this as a referee.

Law 12 Decision 2 begins, "The goalkeeper is considered to be in control of the ball by touching it with any part of his hand or arms."

Advice to Referees says, "12.16 GOALKEEPER POSSESSION OF THE BALL
The goalkeeper is considered to be in possession of the ball while bouncing it on the ground or while throwing it into the air. Possession is given up if, while throwing the ball into the air, it is allowed to strike the ground. As noted in Advice 12.10, handling extends from shoulder to tip of fingers. While the ball is in the possession of the ?keeper, it cannot be lawfully played by an opponent, and any attempt to do so may be punished by a direct free kick."

My personal rule of thumb for possession is if the keeper uses both hands, or uses one hand pinning the ball against something else - the ground, the goal, her body. The key is that the ball must be grasped and controlled, not just brushed with the hand or arm.

Most leagues have some kind of reporting mechanism, either formal or informal, in which coaches can comment on referees. If that is not true in your area, you may want to set something up. Comments should go to the referee assignor and/or the local ref association president. They will evaluate the comment and decide if any further action needs to be taken. Actions may be to talk with the referee to clarify the situation or to view the referee at a game. In most cases, any results from such reports will not be made known to the reporter, other than to acknowledge the receipt.

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

There is nothing a coach or parent may do during a match to correct the match referee. It is his decision to speak with a player and if that is what he wants to do then so be it. After the match a letter citing the written procedure the referee ignored, the time of the match, the teams involved and even video evidence of what happened might be given to the league's assignor. Given an actual problem as seen by competent authority steps may be taken to prevent this mistake in future assignments.

Regards,

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