Question Number: 30485

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 6/6/2016

RE: rec Under 18

mark bell of wishaw, North Lanarkshire United Kingdom asks...

Striker going in on goal with keeper coming out to block striker gets shot away and ball goes wide. After he gets shot away he and keeper run into each other both due to momentum. What decision should be awarded?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Mark
Always a difficult one. The referee has to decide what caused the contact and whether it was simply momentum between two players or whether one player such as the goalkeeper was late to the ball which makes it a foul provided the ball was still in play.
So this could be nothing and a goal kick or it could be a penalty kick. As the forward got his shot away there was no denial of a goal scoring opportunity so at worse it could be a caution for unsporting behaviour for a late challenge or indeed it could be a penalty kick only.
Most of these end up as no foul although if the contact is reckless then I am going with a foul and a card depending on the severity of the challenge.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

'After he gets the shot away' - but did the ball go out of play before the collision? If so, it's a goal kick and no foul, but it could be misconduct.

The referee has to evaluate both players' actions to determine if either one of them is at fault, if the crash happened while the ball was still in play. That's not always easy to do, especially considering the ref gets only one quick glance at it from one angle.

And sometimes the most horrific train wrecks are just unfortunate incidents, not a foul.

Answer provided by Referee James Sowa

Mark,

Without seeing the situation I can not possibly give you a proper answer. Some things I would consider in this situation though:

1) How late is the contact between the player and the keeper
2) Who initiates the contact
3) Where is the contact (ie leg, shoulder, torso)
4) Where is the ball when the contact occurs
5) Did the keeper get any contact of the ball


Based on the answer to these, it could be a Goal Kick, Corner Kick, or a Penalty Kick. If the answer to number 4 is out of play, then the restart can not be a penalty kick.