Question Number: 30750

Law 3 - Number of Players 9/11/2016

RE: Under 14

Filippo of Palermo, Italy asks...

According to the new wording of Law 3, a goal must be disallowed if there was an extra person on the field of play at the moment the goal was scored, and that person belonged to the team scoring it (or was an outside agent). And then it goes on saying:

'Play is restarted with a goal kick, corner kick or dropped ball.'

A dropped ball is clearly used when the extra person is an outside agent, but I'm wondering about the goal kick and corner kick restarts. When should we award a goal kick and when a corner kick? Does it depend on which player touches the ball last before it enters the goal?

A friend told me it's a goal kick when someone from the team with twelve players kicks the ball into the opponents' goal and scores (regardless of who touched it last), while a corner kick is only used when the team with the right number of players deliberately scores an own goal.

But I am not convinced, because
" what is the difference between a defender deflecting a shot by an opponent and a 'deliberate own goal'?
" awarding a goal kick regardless of who touched the ball last goes against the definition itself of 'goal kick' given in Law 16.

What do you think?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Fillipo
Once the referee has not been able to stop play and he becomes aware of an extra player by the scoring team the restart is
A goal kick if the scoring team was last to touch the ball before the ball crossed the goal line
A corner kick if the defending team was the last team to touch the ball
A dropped ball would be awarded if the ball was going wide and it was deflected by the outside agent into the goal or over the goal line. If the touch by the outside agent makes no difference to the ball destined for the goal then the goal is awarded once the ball enters the goal.

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Hi Filippo - I think your friend is confusing the issue here (and you in the process). This has nothing to do with a team deliberately scoring an own goal and everything to do with who touched the ball last. In the case of either the attacking team or the defending team getting the last touch on the ball, we have a situation where the ball has passed over the goal line and a goal has not been scored. So either Law 16 (The Goal Kick) or Law 17 (The Corner Kick) applies.

If an outside agent touched the ball last, that would result in a dropped ball unless the ball was going into the goal anyway and the interference did not prevent a defending player playing the ball, in which case the goal can still be awarded.

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