Question Number: 28623

Character, Attitude and Control 7/27/2014

RE: rec Adult

pete of floral park, new york usa asks...

hi refs,

In my game today the opposing goalkeeper
made a bad attempt at clearing the ball
our forward hit the ball which was going
over the keepers head and clearly on target
the goalkeeper jumped up and stopped the shot but he was 5 yards outside the penalty
area at the time he stopped the ball and
was the last defender thus (dagso) my team
mates were telling the ref it was a red card, the ref gave a dfk and no card not even a yellow, he said in his opinion the
goalkeeper didnt know he was outside the penalty area, but the keeper clearly knew he was, so was it the right call or should the ref have punished him appropriately, thanks,

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Pete,
If you ask, would I have given the keeper a break in your situation, chances are not good, in my honest opinion, your scenario as it is described, sounds pretty tight for showing the red card and sending off for DOGSO, however I was not there, I did not see what the referee MAY have seen! Although in truth, ignorance is no excuse and 5 yards seems a lot to be unaware! The keeper is judged same as any player outside his penalty area so our referee was aware it was a DFK from the point of the deliberate handling
You did get an opinion from the referee in your match
A referee with integrity sees what he sees! His match ! His Decision! His Reputation!
FIFA LOTG LAW 5 Decisions of the referee
The decisions of the referee regarding facts connected with play, including whether or not a goal is scored and the result of the match, are final.

Sometimes referees just plain do not like being told they should card an opposing player by the other team and are obstinate about showing one, even against their better judgement they know they should. Some referees are misguided by compassion, looking too hard on a player's behalf for a good reason to stay when their action against the opponent's spoke out it was a clear time for that player to go.

As a player, I consider the referee as a MATCH condition, that you adapt to, much like the weather or pitch surface. Good or bad, stormy or sunny, rain or shine, slippery or dry you find your way through!! As a referee I try to be as consistent a condition as I can, so the players will know what to expect!

After watching the recent World Cup I am somewhat mystified to explain this leniency trend where the LOTG are arbitrarily set aside to keep players on the pitch. Yet I am not without compassion to finding creative ways for players to continue playing. A referee can bend the laws at times to stay within the frame work of respecting Fair Play by applying the spirit of a law instead of the letter of the law but it gets very dicey when we set the law aside and make our own

I have indeed seen a sunny days glare and faded lines at times causing issues where it could be difficult to gauge the penalty area markings. Even newer keepers not aware the penalty arc is not part of the area! I have given the odd keeper a break when these rare conditions might inadvertently affect normal play. Taking away a sure goal is a tad above normal lol

Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Pete
As described this should have been a dismissal for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity as the deliberate handling denied an obvious goal or goal scoring opportunity.
Now the reasoning for not taking disciplinary action is somewhat weak as it is up to the referee to clearly judge his position. If the referee can judge it from some 15 yards away then IMO the goalkeeper has to be able.
Now had the referee decided that the ball was going wide or that there was no scoring opportunity IMO it should have been a caution.
I suspect that the referee did not want to send off the goalkeeper here and cut him some slack in not doing so.

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

See Question: 28700