Question Number: 30539

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 6/25/2016

RE: Adult

Martin audas of Liverpool , uk asks...

If a keeper is wasting time in the 18 yard box can the ref give him a yellow card for time wasting or ungentlemenly conduct.if so is it then considered a foul and therefore a penalty ?97659

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Martin
You do not mention how the goalkeeper is time wasting? Time can only be wasted when the ball is out of play. If the goalkeeper is penalised for holding the ball more then six seconds or touching the ball with his hands when he is not allowed to do so, the offence is punished by an indirect free kick only. There is no caution as it is just a regular *offence* with an IDFK restart.
A caution would only happen if the goalkeeper delayed the restart by not taking a kick in a timely manner or kicking / throwing the ball away at a restart or preventing a free kick being taken. I suspect as well that if the 6 second offence is called there is the potential for the GK to dissent that decision or perhaps kick the ball away in protest which can be cautioned.
Time wasting would never ever be a penalty kick and it happens only when the ball is out of play. Legitimate using up of time is part of the game which includes players going into the corners, GKs waiting to be closed down before picking the ball up, multiple short passes etc.

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

Hi Martin,

Depends what you mean by wasting time!
If a goalkeeper is taking a goal kick or free kick within the Penalty Area and is unreasonably delaying play then the referee should caution the keeper for delaying the restart of play. That team still takes the goal kick / free kick. The referee may choose to warn the goalkeeper first.

If the goalkeeper has it in his hands for more than 6 seconds, the referee will award an Indirect Free Kick against that team from where the goalkeeper was holding the ball (or on the edge of the smaller Goal Area if it was inside that area). No caution is required for this.

There can also be the frustrating scenario where a goalkeeper receives a ball at his feet (say, from an overshot pass by the attacking team), and waits with the ball at his feet to force an attacker to approach him before he picks the ball up. This can drag on for quite some time but as the ball is in play, it's a valid tactic by the goalkeeper and no offence has been committed.

Answer provided by Referee

Martin,

If the ball is not in active play, e.g. taking a goal kick or free kick, and the goalie wastes time taking the kick, yes, he could be cautioned for it. The caution would be for delaying the restart of play.
The goalie could also waste time by kicking the ball away after the whistle has gone. This caution is called UNSPORTING BEHAVIOUR (not ungentlemanly conduct).
In active play, the goalie could also waste time if he controls the ball with his hands for more than six seconds before releasing it from his possession. This is punished by an indirect free kick. Caution is not required.
But if the goalie has released the ball into play, he is allowed to dribble it or however he wants control the ball, as long it is not his hands. This is not time wasting.
I wish I knew which of these scenarios you were thinking of...