Question Number: 30021

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 1/15/2016

RE: Competitive Adult

Mike of Montreal, Canada asks...

When a player intentionally passes the ball to his goalkeeper, yet the ball hits the goalpost but remains in the field of play. Can the keeper use his hands to recover the ball, after it has hit the goalpost and nothing (no other player) else?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Mike
The technical answer is no. Now the question the referee has to ask is whether the player deliberately kicked the ball to the goalkeeper or did he intend to kick it wide and it hit the post. Each referee has to consider the actual circumstances. For instance in the case of an error by the goalkeeper who perhaps went to kick the ball away because of the restriction, missed and the ball hit the post then nothing has changed so the restriction still applies. Compare that with a doubtful situation where it looks like the defender could have been clearing the ball, he kicks it goalward, the goalkeeper scrambles and it hits the post. That will not be seen as a deliberate kick to the goalkeeper.
I recall a number of seasons ago a defender from his goalkeepers kick out made a strong kick of the bouncing ball. The ball headed backwards and the goalkeeper had to save the ball by tipping it over the cross bar. Did the player intend to deliberately kick the ball to the goalkeeper? That crossed my mind yet not one player looked for the IDFK and I awarded a corner. I had doubts as to what the defender was actually trying to do and had it hit the frame of the goal it would have been play on with the goalkeeper entitled to handle it. The best decision was the corner kick. Had the goalkeeper been able to catch it I would not have awarded the IDFK and if questioned I would simply say NOT deliberate.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Mike,
the deliberate kick of the ball by a team mate to the keeper is not a infraction that we play gotcha with or at least it should not be. It would take a very careless or incredibly assured keeper to allow a ball to hit the post bounce back and then handle that ball if he could get to it before then . Given the ball would have exited the FOP except for the post I'd likely not get to fired up at awarding an INDFK. That said if was a deliberate kick by a teammate clearly intended as a pass a referee would be well within the LOTG to do so! The necessity of having to award the INDFK might be tempered with no opponents around thus trifling or doubtful conditions MIGHT apply. As my colleague states we cannot always turn a blind eye something's are exactly what they are!
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

If a player deliberately kicked the ball to his goalkeeper, then except for another player touching the ball it doesn't matter what happens between that kick and the goalkeeper handling it. If he handles it, it's an offence. So, if the keeper slips over getting to the ball but gets lucky by it hitting the post instead of going into the goal then handles it, that's a free kick. Of course, you'd want to be sure the goalkeeper was the intended target and not putting the ball out.