Question Number: 30797

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 9/21/2016

RE: Competive Under 12

Matt of Tulsa, OK USA asks...

Our last game while defending corner kicks our goalie was being blocked by an attacking player standing in front of her. The attacking player actually backed into our goalie and was pushing our goalie back towards the back post. Is this a legal tactic?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Matt
Pushing the GK is not a legal tactic. Standing beside the goalkeeper is legal provided the player makes no effort to impede, hold, block the goalkeeper from moving towards the ball by moving into his path, once the ball is put into play.
Now placing a player in such a position has become a tactic and team counter this with a placement of a defender between the goalkeeper and the opponent. That causes all sorts of shenanigans at corner kicks and referee have to manage that correctly. Referee Grove has spelled out the Law here
When it happens it does attract my attention and if I see no effort by the attacker to go to the ball yet just impeding or blocking the GK by moving into his path it is a foul to the defence.
Now if the player is just stood there and the GK has to go around him then there is no foul. Sometimes there can be a fine line particularly if there is a defender there involved in all sorts as well.

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Hi Matt,

The Laws of the Game instruct referees to pay particular attention to holding offences at corner kicks and free kicks.

The actual wording is:

''Referees are reminded to make an early intervention and to deal firmly with holding offences, especially inside the penalty area at corner kicks and free kicks. To deal with these situations:

•  the referee must warn any player holding an opponent before the ball is in play
•  caution the player if the holding continues before the ball is in play
•  award a direct free kick or penalty kick and caution the player if it happens once the ball is in play''

Now, although the wording only specifically mentions holding, I would say that under 'the spirit of the law' the same principle would apply to the kinds of pushing or pulling we frequently see at corners and free kicks.

All that being said, the referee still has to make a distinction between a player that is just standing in a particular place and holding their ground (legal) and one that is pushing, pulling or holding an opponent (illegal).

The law also makes the following statement:

''All players have a right to their position on the field of play; being in the way of an opponent is not the same as moving into the way of an opponent.''