Question Number: 24247

Law 5 - The Referee 10/29/2010

RE: Competitive Adult

Chris of Sydney, NSW Australia asks...

This question is a follow up to question 24224

I stand by my original statement.

I quote, 'The GK made a great save, had the enough control for the save and the smarts to give up possession before entering the goal.'

The GK knew what he was doing and deliberately released the ball so not to concede a goal.

Therefore the IDFK should have been awarded from the place the GK picked the ball up for the 2nd subject to whether he was in the goal area or not.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Chris
I don't have any difficulty with that and the referee if he so wishes can award the IDFK. That is his choice. The referee in this game did not and I have no difficulty about that decision either and it is the decision I would have made based on what was described. Refereeing decisions are not always black and white and the referee has to make the 'best' decision in the match situation.

Perhaps as a referee, who has been around before it was not an offence, my inclination is only to look for the situations where it is deliberately intended by the GK to relinquish possession rather than a questionable release as part of a save. It probably did not even enter the GK's thinking that he should not pick it up in this save scenario. If he tried to catch the ball but only managed to push it away there would be no question about it being an offence. The Law IMO was never intended to punish questionable situations such as this. We have all seen under pressure kicks in the direction of the GK that are not punished as deliberate kicks to the GK when the goalkeeper touches them with his hands. The referee makes a decision based on the circumstances and whether he believes the ball was deliberately kicked to the goalkeeper or not.

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

Nobody said you were wrong, only that we disagree about whether your choice of application is set in stone, which it is not.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Were you the referee on that match this would be your decision. Not everyone agrees with you but that doesn't make you right or wrong. Soccer referees are given some latitude in their decision making and little is as black and white as you seem to be insisting

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

See Question: 24283