Question Number: 20391

Law 18 - Common Sense 10/28/2008

Rudy of Vancouver, BC Canada asks...

This question is a follow up to question 20370

Interesting scenarios for all us keepers.

Some more that I would like your help with:

What if I catch the ball in my penalty area, make my way up to the top and along the way fumble the ball, it bounces twice in front of me, and an attacker sees this vies for the ball and I freeze it on the ground with my hand just before the attacker gets to it. Second touch??

What if the same as above happens but the ball only bounces once!! The attacker sees that I am not deliberately bouncing it as keepers like to do, but that I have fumbled it and challenges, and again I pounce on it with my hands a split second before he can kick it. Second touch??

What if, similar to a scenario that one of the panel raised, there is a shot with no follow up. The keeper runs to the top of the box to catch it, but then to his horror realizes that the ball will land just short of the line and bounce over his head, and in desperation if lunges and blocks the bounce from the ground, but inches completely out of his penalty area. Trifling, or DFK (with possible red for denying goal, although that may be a stretch . . . no pun intended!!!) There was no follow up, but still, there was a potential for a goal. I might that this is not an unheard of scenario.

Thx,

Keeps

Answer provided by Referee Steve Montanino

1. That depends on if the referee decides you have put the ball into play! If he thought it was an accident then you are off the hook. If not, it is a second touch. If the player gets to it first then you are out of luck and he could play it.

2. It again depends on if it appears that you released the ball into play... this case you get a little more leeway because you could have a case that you were merely bouncing the ball and a defender may not challenge you if you are bouncing the ball.

3. It depends on who kicked it... If the kick was made by the opponent then this is likely a send-off/red card for denying an obvious goal/goal scoring opportunity. If kicked by a teammate, this is going to result in a direct free kick, and probably a caution for unsporting behavior. Either way, this would not be deemed as trifiling.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

INDFK , you are responsible you had control and that ball was free to be challanged after it was released. The fact you took an oportunity to play the ball away from an opponent as opposed to just continue your release is significant.

The single bounce as opposed to the release? hmmm that might go your way if it looked like a bounce and you picked it up after it hit the ground on the way up. I think if you TRAPPED it on the ground it appears more a regrab but again a slip is not a deliberate release into play you do have six seconds and perhaps that opponent was actually impeding your release given he was so close as to take advantage. That said I find it difficult not to think INDFK if an opponent who HAS a legal right to play a free ball is disadvantaged by the act and did nothing to cause the slip.

In either situation
If the opponent was not in the picture then you punt it down field after recovering it **within** the 6 seconds there is no real NEED to see it as a MUST call indfk if you see it as a slip. The spirit of the laws is identifiable with the opposition being affected and wasting time as the primary reasons the indfks for a keeper were insituted. That said a mistake is a mistake and we are not there to save you from a mistake!

As a coach I train my keepers never to bounce the ball and secure the ball to the body and be aware that you have a full six seconds to make your way to a release point. If a quick release is there because a team mate is free at a point you can get the ball to them balance and focus your efforts. I have seen keepers actually throw the ball into their own goal and drop the ball and miss kick it completely as they rush to send it down field.

If the ball hit the ground and bounced funny INTO the arm and he was trying to play it off the chest if we see it as not deliberate then no foul at all. But if he swipes at it as it goes by, if the keeper uses his HANDS outside his penalty area to stop a bouncing ball that was completely outside the penalty area from going over his head in the direction of the goal hard to imagine it NOT being a DFK and cardable. The USB or DOGSO need to see it to have that opinion, a free kick might be all that is required .