Question Number: 24347

Law 16 - Goal Kick 11/20/2010

RE: 7 Under 17

Will of London, England asks...

A defender takes a goal kick the 6 yard line. Forgetting no one else can touch it until it leaves the penalty area, he passes it back to his goalkeeper, however the goalkeeper completely misses it and it goes in. Obviously it can't be a goal as you can't score an own goal direct from any free kick, but should it be a corner, or a retake? When it goes into the goal, does that count as the ball leaving the penalty box?

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

The ball was not in play because it must leave the penalty area to be in play.

Law 16 says, 'If the ball is not kicked directly out of the penalty area from a goal kick:
* the kick is retaken.'

'Directly out' means into the rest of the field, not off the field.

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

A. It is a retake, Will. The ball was never in play, and if it was never in play, it can't score.

B. There are no boxes on the field (I hope - they would make it very hard to play through a 3 dimensional structure) only areas.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Will
On any resart inside the penalty area the ball must leave the area for it to be in play. As the ball has not been put into play the restart is retaken.
If it was a restart outside the penalty area the ball is in play when it is kicked and moved. If it entered the defender's own goal directly the restart would be a corner kick.