Question Number: 30460

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 5/28/2016

RE: Amateur Adult

Iain Stewart of Glasgow, Uk asks...

Goalkeeper swipes at a pass back only to kick the ball in the air approx 2metres in front of him. A striker is closing him down and the keeper picks the ball up without any other player touching the ball since the initial pass back. Should this be a freekick against the goalkeeper?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Iain
As the ball has been deliberately kicked to the goalkeeper he is prevented from touching the ball with his hands until it is played to him in a manner that allows him to do so such as a header, chested, kneed etc or the ball has been played / touched by an opponent. As that has not happened it is an IDFK offence It makes no difference that it is a swipe or a mis-kick by the GK. That changes nothing.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Iain,
we do not reward mistakes and that is all this is! The INDFK offence for handling the ball illegally if inside the PA remains as a consequence.
IF the criteria for a back pass has been met then the keeper CAN NOT use their hands on the ball until that restriction is rescinded by another player making contact with the ball first or the ball is put into touch.
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

Hi Iain,
Thank you for your question.
The presence of the opposing striker doesn't change things here - a keeper isn't allowed to handle a ball he couldn't otherwise handle because he is under pressure.

In determining a foul here, 2 questions need to be asked:

Was the ball deliberately kicked to him by a teammate?
Did the keeper handle the ball?

If the answer to both is yes, then it's an IFK.

The fact that the keeper miskicked the ball in between these events is irrelevant. It would be like the keeper trapping the ball at his feet, running around with it first then picking it up. None of that is relevant - if the answer to the 2 questions is yes, then it's an IFK.
If no free kick was awarded, then there are 3 possibilities:

1) The referee didn't consider the kick from a teammate to be deliberate to the keeper. Perhaps there's a chance it may have been an attempt to clear the ball over for a corner instead and he gave the player the benefit of the doubt.

2)The referee may have been uncertain if an attacker got a touch at some point

3)The referee mistakenly believed that the miskick by the keeper nullified the kick from the defender. I know some referees do believe this, not helped by an incorrect decision in the EPL a year or two ago (can't remember the match) where something very similar occurred and the referee allowed play to continue.