Question Number: 26460

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 6/15/2012

RE: Competitive Other

Igor of Toronto, Ontario Canada asks...

I am not sure how to apply 'pass back to goalie' in the following situation.
A defender gained control over the ball in his own 18 yard box, dribbled it a little and then walked away from it. Goalie stepped in and grabbed the ball. Is it pass back or not?
In that game referee did not make any call.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Igor
Yes this is a deliberate kick to the goalkeeper. The direction or distance of the kick is not relevant and that is why the misnomer of 'passback' is unhelpful.
I might add that in these situations sometimes the referee can need assistance through a 'shout' otherwise he will just ignore it as trifling. I recall a number of seasons ago on a particularly poor day with a gale blowing. goalkeeper on his own, with every opponent in the other half, dribbled a throw in inside his penalty area so that he could launch a long punt downfield. Not one player saw anything wrong when he picked the ball up and I simply allowed play to continue.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

'Passback' is a shorthand version for the foul that occurs when a goalkeeper touches a ball after a deliberate kick of the ball by a teammate. Before 1996, kicking the ball back to the keeper's hands was a common strategy. The purpose of the 1996 change in the law, however, was to prevent time wasting and/or the tactic of denying a nearby opponent an opportunity to play the ball because the ball has been returned to the goalkeeper's possession.

In today's game, it should be a rare foul. In most cases, any infringement is doubtful or trifling and should be ignored.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

This is a good example why the term passback is misleading and shuld not be used. The teammate of the keeper used his foot to put the ball to a place where the keeper could get it. The keeper thus, may not use his hands and pick it up or an IDFK will be awarded the opponents.

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

See Question: 26485