Question Number: 29691

Law 16 - Goal Kick 9/13/2015

RE: Youth to adult, comp and rec.

Barry Stewart of Chilliwack, BC Canada asks...

This question is a follow up to question 29687

Richard Dawson said, '...The 2nd touch occurred because it was not hard enough or was it to prevent an opponent outside from getting a great chance? The reasoning MIGHT factor into a delaying the restart and whether a caution is warranted.'

I was previously under the understanding that the ball was not in play until it was totally out of the area -- so a card would not be warranted, unless a keeper/defender were making a travesty of the game with goal kick silliness.

Example of what I thought was allowable: a keeper makes a weak kick that will arrive outside the area just as an attacker arrives. The keeper, or a defender, sprints to touch the ball before it leaves the area, to take away the opportunity. Note: the ball is not 'in play' yet, so it is different than a poor free kick in any other situation.

I'm thinking if a defender dove on the ball, using the hands and covered it like a live grenade, a ref could be pulling out a yellow card; similarly, if it were seen as time-wasting, by spoiling a goal kick 2 or 3x in a row, late in the game.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Barry
Yes the ball has to leave the penalty area to be in play. When that does not happen the referee can still caution a player for misconduct such as delaying the restart. Simply double touching the ball inside the penalty area would not normally be a caution and that is not what is suggested. There has to be *something* more and the more can be time wasting, larking about etc.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Barry, my colleague REF McHugh is correct the 'SOMETHING MORE' the caution is a long odds maybe likely NOT a necessity or even under consideration . I have had the occasional defender deliberately play a weakly or poorly kicked ball before it cleared the PA to PREVENT the lurking attacker from having a scoring opportunity. as a tactical necessity or as you pointed out the silliness of running to one side of the goal area pretend to put the ball down run to the other side try to kick it miskick it then retouch because it was going to a waiting attacker!
Cheers