Question Number: 30383

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 5/3/2016

RE: Intermediate Under 13

Phil of Tarzana, CA United States asks...

This question is a follow up to question 30374

I'm curious about something Referee McHugh said (that some teams would prefer not having the goal, but having the other team play a person down).

Suppose there's a foul in the box & the referee plays advantage as the ball now dribbles toward the goal, as the foul prevented the attacker from kicking the ball harder. Assuming that no other defender is around, that would ordinarily be DOGSO if the keeper stops it.

Does the keeper now have the option? i.e. he can easily stop the ball, so that the attacker is red carded & a penalty kick is awarded. Or he could let the goal happen, so that his team doesn't play short. (I realize this would be rare because he'd have barely a second or two to react & wouldn't know for sure that the referee would call the foul)

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Phil
Not sure that players think options through that quickly. Also players always think on the positive side so they may expect no foul or no sanction which is why we get protests even about stonewall decisions.
I just make the point that sometimes getting a penalty and a dismissal is seen as a double advantage as teams expect to score the penalty and the average I believe is just under 9 successful kicks out of every 10. So if a team can get a goal plus an opponent dismissed they will see that as positive. Unless of course it does not work out such as the case of Ghana v Uruguay in the 2014 World Cup.

Answer provided by Referee James Sowa

Phil,

If a keeper can process the scenario that fast, more power to him and sign him up as a referee. This would be extremely difficult for a player to process in real time, but theoretically, sure the keeper could deliberately allow the goal. As to whether a team wants the goal or the red card, they usually want both. That said, I don't believe I have encountered a scenario where a team has stated they would rather have the red card over the sure thing. Goals are precious.

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

Hi Phil,
For the sake of clarity, let's say the foul occurred as the ball was kicked, so it's just 'wait and see'. We're waiting on the outcome to decide what our response is - so yes, the keeper could choose to stand aside and let the ball roll into the goal, thus advantage is applied, a goal is awarded and no red card. Or if he stops the ball, then we look at DOGSO. If the keeper made the choice to deliberately stand aside then we should be happy with that - not only is the goal the best possible outcome, but it leaves us in the desirable position of not having to make a match-changing decision!