Question Number: 22793

Law 18 - Common Sense 2/2/2010

RE: competitive Adult

Bill of Perkasie, Pa USA asks...

If a defender passes a ball back to the keeper, but the ball goes in the net, is this a corner kick or a goal? Thank you

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

Are we talking about general play, or from a restart such as a free kick?

If in general play and a player kicks the ball into his own net, then a goal is scored in favour of the opposition - it doesn't matter what his intent is.

If it's directly from a restart such as a corner kick, free kick or throw in then the restart is a corner kick as you cannot score an own goal directly from a restart.

If it's from a goal kick then, assuming the ball hasn't left the penalty area, the restart is to retake the goal kick as the ball never went into play having never left the penalty area.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

It's a goal. As Ref Wright notes, an own goal cannot be scored directly from a free kick (it must touch another player first). Your post indicates a 'pass' rather than a free kick.

During active play, even if the goal keeper commits an indirect free kick foul by touching a ball deliberately played by a teammate, the referee will allow the advantage (and award the goal) it the ball still enters the goal.

Answer provided by Referee Gene Nagy

Bill, since you infer that it was in active play by saying 'passes' instead of kicks, it is a goal. I am wondering why you ask the question and I think the answer is that you noticed that somewhere in the LOTG it says that a player cannot score on his own net and the result becomes a corner kick. Well, if that is the case, you saw it Law 13 for both direct and indirect free kicks:
? if a direct or indirect free kick is kicked directly into the team's own goal, a corner kick is awarded to the opposing team
But in a simple pass in active play of course it is a goal. Just make sure you do not laugh at the poor sausage who scored the own goal!

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Bill, you really need to work on your terminology as the question as written is unanswerable. What do you mean by 'passed'? Was this a restart or during dynamic play? Did the keeper touch the ball with his hands?

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

'Passes' includes a ball played/passed with the head, the chest, the thigh, or the foot. The only time the goalkeeper in such a situation is restricted from handling the ball is if it was a ball kicked deliberately by the defender to a place where the keeper could reach it.

So, if a defender passed the ball to his keeper with his head, chest or thigh, the keeper can play the ball, and if he misses and the ball goes in the goal, it is a goal! Kick-off!

As my colleagues note, if the ball was kicked by a defender - even if it is miskicked - and it goes in the goal - goal it is.

The only time it wouldn't be a goal is if the ball entered the team's own net directly from a restart - either DFK, IDFK, goal kick, throw-in or corner kick. If that occurred, we have a corner kick for the opponent.