Question Number: 23073

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 4/6/2010

RE: Select Adult

Peter Babbage of Hjorring, Denmark asks...

This question is a follow up to question 22914

Just a follow up here really. The goalkeeper has slid outside the box with the ball. The general consensus seems to be no caution and a direct free-kick. However, if a player accidentally handles the ball, no free kick or penalty is awarded and play continues. I'm not sure these offences aren't the same, accidental handball.

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

The keeper has deliberately handled the ball by catching it.

The fact that he slid outside the penalty area may have been unintentional, but it could reasonably have been avoided (a good litmus test when determining if a player has handled the ball deliberately). Furthermore, nobody could argue against the fact that he meant to have the ball in his hands.

Thus, there's no possible way you can say the keeper handled the ball accidentally if he slides outside of the penalty area with the ball in his hands and over the penalty area line.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Referee Babbage
In the case of the goalkeeper it is very difficult not to punish contact of the ball with the hand/arm outside the penalty area. The GK's nature is to use the hands and most contact will be deliberate handling.
However it is possible for it not to be deliberate as the goalkeeper is treated the same as an outfield player outside the penalty area. However holding the ball and failing to let the ball go before the line is deliberate handling
I actually saw a replay recently of an incident involving a PL goalkeeper where he knew he was sliding out of the PA and he let the ball go just before the line, to then see the ball being kicked into the empty net. Had he carried it out of the PA then that would have been deliberate handling. He wished he did.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

The classic definition of accidental vs deliberate handling is 'ball to hand' vs 'hand to ball'. While there are other nuances to this, that serves as a pretty good basic definition.

So what the goalkeeper did was definitely hand to ball - he deliberately caught the ball. He then continued his motion, perhaps accidentally, to carry the ball outside the penalty area line. But he had alternatives - he could have dropped the ball as he crossed the line, or he could have batted the ball away in the first place rather than controlling it.

The wise referee would of course evaluate whether the offense needed to be called or if it was trifling. However that decision doesn't depend on the deliberate nature of the offense; it only depends on the result of the deliberate offense. If the keeper only slid a couple inches outside the line and his actions didn't keep an opponent from playing the ball, it is very likely that the offense could be deemed trifling.

The original question was about a caution for this offense. Far too often we get questions asking about 'a handball must be a caution' or 'the keeper handling the ball outside the box is automatically a send-off'. Neither of these statements is true. The caution or send-off is dependent on the situation in which deliberate handling occurs and the severity of the effect on the opponents. Misconduct is not automatic.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

There's no doubt the keeper deliberately handled the ball outside his penalty area. the only question the referee must now ask is 'was this a trifling infraction that did not impact the game at all?' How far outside the penalty area was he? 3 inches, a foot, 3 feet? Were there any opponents anywhere near the keeper? Perhaps if these things are taken into consideration, the referee may just allow play to continue

The following questions were asked as a follow up to the above question...

See Question: 23084