Question Number: 29922

Law 5 - The Referee 11/15/2015

RE: Competitive Under 16

Emma Hargaves of Patchogue, New york United States asks...

Here's the situation:

The score is 1-0, 5 minutes left in the game, Blue team is up by 1 goal, and red has the ball in the other teams half. The red player crosses the ball in, no offsides no player around them,no foul, no out. The other red player gets the ball in a jumble of people and kicks it in the net. The goalie barely even grazed the ball with her hand. The red team starts cheering because now they are tied and the referee calls it a goal and everyone is Walkimg to the middle to restart. The blue teams coach goes 'that's not a goal the goalie had it fully in her hands'(although she never even had possession once) and the referee stops and goes to the 14 year old assistant referee who is doing this for the first time, and she didn't really see but says she thinks it wasn't a goal. He changes his mind and says no goal and gives them a free kick. The lasts whistle blows and game is over. The red team just lost Because of the refs call.(this also happened again within the last 3 minutes)

Is this a correct call made by the referee? Or should he have kept it a goal? Please give feedback soon because my team just lost our last game of the season to the last place team and we are 2nd place. My whole team says this is a tie game. Is it?

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Emma ,
Sorry NO!
for whatever reason the referee has chosen NOT to allow the goal .
The mechanics here are POOR but the most important aspect of a decision is to get it right no matter a referee crew might appear less than professional.
The referee is permitted to change his mind up until the kick off.
As a FACT of Play and the score line a referee's decision is final.

The keeper is considered to be in possession of the ball while the ball is between his hands or between his hand and any surface (e.g. ground, own body) or while holding the ball in his outstretched open hand or while in the act of bouncing it on the ground or tossing it into the air

When a goalkeeper ...HAS... gained possession of the ball with his hands, he ...CAN NOT...be challenged by an opponent.

All officials are somewhere on the graduated experience learning curve as to their understanding and application of the LOTG. If the CR arrives at or holds the opinion that at some point even but for an instant the keeper had the ball stopped between her hand and the ground or body and that ball was kicked out from under the hand in the scramble, the goal will NOT be allowed to stand.

Whenever a goal is scored the CR should get eye contact with the AR and get confirmation it was a good goal or if something might not be correct. This is done by simply remaining on the goal line to show we need to talk rather than running up to the top of the PA setting up for a kick off, The AR will relay to the CR what she thought she saw or knows. The CR collects that and puts it with what he saw and knows and arrives at a decision. The CR cannot take what the blue coach says as a truth but the comments can make the CR remember what possession actually is and if the AR suggests the same? Well it appears he has changed his mind hopefully based on credible information not a ball that merely touched the hand in passing. Sad to say even if your whole team was right, if the keeper really did not ever achieve ball possession, it matters not, as the official team thought otherwise! Keep your chin up. Sometimes you get a break others times you do not!
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Emma
Bad news Im afraid. As the goal was not awarded the result stands at 1-0.
Now there is also no basis for appeal here either. As play had not restarted and the referee was given additional information by an assistant the referee was entitled to change his decision, disallow the goal and restart with a free kick.
Now in these instances it is always a matter of opinion as to what happened. If the goalkeeper had a hand on the ball on the ground or between a hand and another part of the body it may not be kicked by an opponent as the goalkeeper is deemed to be in possession of the ball. Did that happen? Obviously the opposing coach thought so and the AR had to advise the referee that there was an offence for the goal to be overturned.
As a final comment I would say that a team challenging for the top position in the league playing the team in last spot should be winning these types of games.
Teams do not win / draw / lose because of referees decision yet rather that they do not get a result because they do not play well enough. In any game there are many many decisions obviously some more important than others such as the award of a penalty or the disallowing of a goal. However teams if they play well enough and better than their opponents will generally win or get a result.
Ireland got beat against France over two legs of a WC qualifying game in 2009. Great focus was made on a missed deliberate handling by the referee which resulted in a goal to France in the 2nd leg to put France ahead again on aggregate. It happened and that is part of the game. Had Ireland been good enough I believe the team would not have lost the first game 0-1 at home in Dublin and then only draw 1-1 away in Paris. The team could have put that *handling* setback aside and played better than the opponent.
In that situation it was *proven* that the ball was handled for the goal to be scored. Despite all sort of comments and suggestions for months afterwards the result stood which it had to and France went to the WC the following year. Sometimes it just does not go as planned.