Question Number: 30754

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 9/13/2016

RE: Rec Adult

Graham McDermott of London, UK asks...

What if the keeper flicks/chips the ball to a player where the intention/effect is that the player immediately heads it back to the keeper and they keeper handles it.

Is this also not a form of 'trickery' and equally against the spirit of the rules?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Graham
The referee would have to take into account the circumstances. Once it is a trick to circumvent the Law it is a caution and an IDFK restart. The caution here would be for the goalkeeper once the referee deems it a clear trick to circumvent
I could imagine though a situation where the ball is played normally by the goalkeeper to a team mate with no trick and the team mate heads the ball back. That is not an offence in that scenario.
Also if the opponents are close by I see no merit in this tactic as the goalkeeper will have six seconds to put the ball back in play. Thankfully circumvention is something that is not seen very often if at all.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Graham,
for me this is a legal play based on how the LOTG are worded and used to enforce fair play
Under EXTREME circumstances one MIGHT convolute a way to find a keeper culpable but what is legal time use is not a foul of time wasted .
Opposition challenges generally dissuade such a tactic as the ball is available for play.
For me, IF, the ball is in free play, I am less likely to seek a way to caution and award an INDFK . If we reflect WHY this LAW was introduced then think on how or why something is done. Does it unfairly affect he opponent's ability to challenge for that ball?
Tactical skill of say a player kicking the ball to a team mate, then the team mate heads the ball to the keeper is such a circuitous route we need to rethink the skill and time and what and where the opposition are in retrospect. Lets say the keeper handles the ball and tosses it to the head of his team mate and the team mate heads it back to repeat such a tactic has the earmarks of a circumvention of the laws that only permit the 6 seconds of handling here they could in perpetuity do this until challenged by an opponent. A referee has the ability to add time if time I wasted and teams no longer try such useless tactics that can only bring grief
Cheers