Question Number: 30067

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 2/1/2016

RE: Adult

Demetris Protopapas of Limassol, Limassol CYPRUS asks...

hello sir,could you please commend no a fault given in favour of the goalkeeper at 1:40 of the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfC0f9vhrh0

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

HI Demetris,

It is an offence for a player to prevent a goalkeeper from releasing the ball from his hands. A player must be penalised for playing in a dangerous manner if he kicks or attempts to kick the ball when the goalkeeper is in the process of releasing it. The referee was 100% correct to award an indirect free kick to the keeper's team because the striker prevented the goalkeeper from freely releasing the ball from his hands.

In the additional guidance where it stipulates a goalkeeper has 6 seconds of UNCONTESTED possession his 'CONTROL' is described as
1 • while the ball is between his hands or between his hand and any surface
(e.g. ground, own body)
2 • while holding the ball in his outstretched open hand
3 • while in the act of bouncing it on the ground or tossing it into the air.
The 3rd bullet was definitely violated!

What was problematic for me, showing the yellow card and cautioning for USB, was it a mandatory event? The fact the striker may not have been aware he did anything wrong, he did wait till the ball hit the ground on the bounce. If the keeper had the ball bounce away from him as in say, the ball hit his own toe and rolled away we might have allowed the striker to play the ball. Mind you he did toss the ball away after in dissent. I MIGHT have just restarted with an INDFK and not cautioned If I thought the striker was in fact clueless . The caution is usually awarded but it is not MANDITORY.
Cheers

.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Demetris
The referee was 100% supported in the Laws of the Game to take the action he did which was to stop play and resart with an indirect free kick.
To quote the relevant section from page 122 of the Law book
Quote
*A goalkeeper is considered to be in control of the ball:
# while the ball is between his hands or between his hand and any surface (e.g. ground, own body)
# while holding the ball in his outstretched open hand
# 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 cannot be challenged by an opponent. * End quote
So point 3 refers and as the goalkeeper was bouncing the ball he could not be challenged. It is an offence to prevent a goalkeeper from releasing the ball from his hands. The restart is an indirect free kick for the offence.
Now at the Pro level referees expect that players know this law and that they do not engage in this type of activity of interfering with the goalkeeper when he has control of the ball . Most Pro referees will caution for this. The referee here is Christos Nikolaides an experienced FIFA badged official since 2009 and he would be expected to take the correct action which he did.
Here is another example
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xTn4rb1pFqM
In this series of clips the only legal ones are where the ball was thrown down to the ground not bounced or held or in the process of bring kicked by the goalkeeper.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bgFpuyQFRKw
As a side note it is Interesting that Irishman Cillian Sheridan was on the scoresheet in the game. Long way from Cavan to Cyprus.

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

See Question: 30071