Question Number: 29655

Law 18 - Common Sense 9/3/2015

RE: Competitive Adult

Jack Smith of Sydney, New South Wales Australia asks...

I was having a look at the current Laws of the Game, and while it states that on a free kick, corner kick, goal kick, throw-in and directly from a dropped ball, a goal cannot be scored against your own team, it doesn't say anything about not being able to score on yourself from a kick-off or penalty kick.

If you fired a penalty kick into the crossbar on a super windy day on a very short field, and it somehow bounced up the field and into your own goal without touching anyone else, would it be a legal goal?

Similarly, if a kick-off was chipped very high, but still forwards, caught by the wind and miraculously blew back into your own goal, would it be a legal goal?

Is this just one of these things that referees should know, like a goal kick being required to be stationary (even though it never says such a thing in the Laws)?

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

Hi Jack,

By the Laws of the Game they would be legitimate own goals. By the Laws of Physics, however?

Nearly 20 years ago the laws were rewritten with the intent to condense and clarify. Part of that was eliminating unnecessary elements from the laws, which is why they didn't worry about making a decision on your scenarios.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Jack
Im of the opinion that the general principle of not being able to score an own goal directly on any restart applies to all restart even those not specifically mentioned. It is improbable that own goals could be scored from a penalty kick or a kick off so why state it. It would read contrary to the rest of the wordings that the ball has to be kicked forward and how could it end up in the goal some 50/ 90 yards away.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Jack,
your convoluted twisted mind must get sore trying to finagle a goal from such restarts lol I hold with Ref McHugh that it is impossible to score directly against yourself on ANY restart as a general principal of the game and as such a corner kick would be appropriate for the unimaginable. Yet if the ball does get kicked forward and there was a wind strong enough chances are you should not be playing! lol
You must really like my black hole theory on both teams having PIOPS fighting over the ball at the same time? lol
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

Jack, I share your pondering on why some things aren't specifically stated for one or two cases, especially considering the excruciatingly painful detail the Laws sometimes have. Does Law 17 really need to clarify what happens if the goalkeeper takes the kick, and then she's first person to touch the ball again, and that touch is handling in her own penalty area? Really? Would that EVER happen?

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

See Question: 29667