Question Number: 27819

Law 5 - The Referee 9/26/2013

RE: Rec Under 10

John Sendrey of Costa Mesa, California USA asks...

This question is a follow up to question 27055

Goal kick struck the referee (me) outside penalty area and bounced back inside penalty area to the goalie who had also been the kicker. The ball had not touched any other players. I saw the slightly confused goalie go towards the ball to retrieve it. Should the goalie have touched it, I believed the correct call to be IFK for opposing team where goalie contacted ball for the second touch. Wanting to avoid a greatly unfavorable situation, I whistled for a new goal kick. I knew this was not the correct call, but somehow felt that for this age group it would have given too great of an advantage from what was clearly confusion on the players' part. Reflecting back, I think best call would have been to award the IFK to the opposing team and make it an instructional moment for both teams as far as double touch and referee being part of the field.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

In a youth game, I might blow the whistle and stop play before the keeper touches the ball. Then, restart play with a dropped ball near where the goal keeper can pick it up.

It's fair. It's fun.
(9 year olds laugh whenever the ball hits the referee. 30 year olds grumble.)

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi John
Yes, the correct call would have been an IDFK for a double touch infringement as the ball was in play when it left the penalty area and the kicker is not allowed to touch the ball again until it has been touched by another player. Stopping the play before it happened was probably wise in the circumstances. Had you waited for the IDFK offence to happen in a very favourable attacking position and say a goal was scored it would have placed you in the uncomfortable position of having influenced the game. The players would have been confused and probably the sideline would have been irate
Now I'm unsure how you got into the position where this was allowed to happen. The referee though if he is not ready or not in position can order a retake of a restart or if it is an inadvertent whistle restart with a dropped ball
So based on what you describe it was not the correct decision in Law yet it was the 'best' decision for the game at this age group. The instruction can still be given to the goalkeeper.

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

Hi John,

Bit of a no-win situation this one. Naturally awarding the GK again is completely against the laws and in doing so you may have sent the wrong message to everybody at that game as to what happens when the ball strikes the referee - though awarding a drop ball would probably have been even worse in that aspect, even though a more legal approach!

Given the extremely young age of the players I think you've made the best decision - but take this as a learning experience, and have a think about how this situation arose.

Why were you so close to the PA - and in the likely path of the ball - that this was possible? Had a nearby attacker been running onto the ball you would have been in an extremely difficult position, as stopping play would have been unfair to the opposition.

If you need to be close to the PA to manage the position of the goal kick (as it sometimes needed at this age), then once the player is placing the ball, move upfield and to one side of the likely drop zone.

For a higher grade or an older match, I think you'd be stuck with a more 'LOTG' approach.

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

See Question: 27843

See Question: 27876