Question Number: 25266

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 7/29/2011

RE: rec Under 15

david schwartzman of pittsburgh, pa usa asks...

Scenario: in penalty area, keeper has ball in her hands and rolls it to teammate, also in penalty area. Teammate, remaining within penalty area, then passes ball back to keeper, who also remains in the penalty area and kicks it away. Any foul here? The reason i ask this question is that i came upon a passage in a high school rules book which suggested that, in this scenario, the keeper could not play the ball a second time until after it had left the penalty area. Thanks

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

It is not a foul for the keeper to play the ball with the feet under these circumstances under either high school (NFHS) rules or the Laws of the Game (LOTG).

The keeper who releases the ball from the hands may not handle the ball again without an intervening touch by another player. There is now a difference between NFHS and TLOG regarding 'touch by another player.'

NFHS rules provide that the keeper may handle the ball which has been touched by an opponent who is located anywhere or by a teammate who is located outside the penalty area. At one time this was also the interpretation under TLOG.

The current approach under TLOG is touched by another player means anywhere. Of course, the keeper may not handle the ball again if the 'touch' by a teammate is a deliberate kick or a deliberate trick to circumvent the laws.

The main point, however, is that none of this applies when the keeper uses the feet, head or body to play the ball. The limitation only concerns when it is an indirect free kick foul for the keeper to handle the ball inside the penalty area.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

Back before the Laws of the Game were simplified in 1996, they contained this provision that the goalkeeper could not handle the ball again until it was touched by an opponent anywhere or by a teammate outside the penalty area. USSF continued to document this in Advice to Referees, because when issuing the new version of the Laws IFAB (the writers and keepers of the word) said that the condensation of words did not change anything unless it appeared in the memorandum specifying Law changes. Some years later, IFAB issued an interpretation that it didn't matter where the teammate was, inside or outside the penalty area, and this was dropped from Advice to Referees. Apparently it lives on in the NFHS rules.

In any event, the goalkeeper cannot handle a ball in any circumstances when it is deliberately kicked to him by a teammate, which your question seems to suggest. But it is never a foul for the goalkeeper to play such a ball without using his hands.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

The keeper may not play the ball a second time until it leaves the penalty area on any free kicks taken from within the keeper's penalty area by the keeper, including goal kicks because the ball is not in play until it leaves the penalty area. Further, the keeper or anyone taking a free kick leaving their penalty area or a goal kick, may not play the ball a second time until it touches another player.

But this is NOT situation where there is a restart involved. The ball is in play and the keeper and his teammate are free to kick the ball back and forth to their heart's content. The keeper may not HANDLE the ball if deliberately kicked to him by a teammate. If he does an IDFK is awarded the opponents

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi David
No infringement here.
In open play there is never a restriction on a player including a goalkeeper using his foot to play the ball anywhere on the field of play.
On any defensive restart inside the penalty area the ball is not in play until it leaves the penalty area. If the ball is touched twice inside the penalty area on a restart it is retaken.
If the ball is deliberately kicked or thrown to the goalkeeper he may not touch the ball with his hands inside the penalty area. If the goalkeeper is in possession of the ball with his hands and he releases the ball he may not touch the ball again with his hands until it has touched an opponent.