Question Number: 30997

Law 13 - Free Kicks 11/6/2016

RE: competitive Adult

Jacob Mungoma of Malindi of, Kenya asks...

A very fast GK is taken by the g.keeper but bounces onto the referee who is outside the PA and rolls back into the PA.
Qns1. if this ball goes into the goal from the rebound by the referee, will it be a score or not?
2. if the g.keeper kicks it again to avoid a goal or losing the ball to an opponent, infringement or no infringement? And if infringement, does it not seem to be unfair to the defending team?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Jacob
A team cannot score on ITSELF from any restart so the restart here is a corner kick. The referee is part of the field of play in the same way as a goal post so on Q1 a goal cannot be awarded. It is a corner kick.
On Q2 the goalkeeper may not play the ball again for a second time until it has been played by another player. That would result in an IDFK restart. In your example unfortunately it is an IDFK from where the goalkeeper touched the ball for a second time. Yeah probably unfair yet so is the situation where the ball bounces off the referee kindly to attacker who scores. There is no remedy in Law other than the referee saying that he was not ready for the restart and allowing the kick to be retaken on the whistle.
The learning point for referees is not to get in such positions.
In this very old example the only decision that could be made was a goal
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_euHnegML8
In my game at the weekend a player took a quick free kick and he hit me with the ball as I was moving away some three / four yards.. It bounced back towards him and he played it again. I stopped play. Now at that moment I noticed that the player that was fouled was still down and I used it as the get out clause as I pointed to the player and dealt with the injury. Had I seen that before the kick I would not have allowed play to restart. After sorting the injured player I restarted with the free kick again. No complaint from either side.
Without the injury a retake could have resulted in a complaint from the defending team of a double touch which it technically would have been. Was I ready? Probably as had the ball not hit me play would have continued. I could also opine that I was not ready as I was out of position.

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Hi Jacob,
Q1. If a goal kick goes out of the penalty area, into play and then back into the goal of the team taking the kick without touching another player, this would result in a corner kick.

Q2. If the player who took the goal kick touches the ball again after it has been in play and before any other player has touched it, this is an infringement. You're right, it doesn't seem particularly fair but as Ref McHugh states, the only way out for a referee in this situation would be by claiming not to be ready. Failing that, the referee would have to award an indirect free kick.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

HI Jacob,
the CR (center referee) indeed the ARs even the 4th official if the ball strikes either of them but remains on the field the ball is in play. Usually it is just the CR who is affected but occasionally an AR is a wee bit too close to the touchlines and a rebound of a ball that should have exited the FOP for a throw in suddenly becomes a fortuitous break for the attacking team.

In your case, for the CR to be hit by a goal kick is highly unlikely because the CR should be no where near the PA! He should be up field towards the midline for the kick. The opportunity for a referee to be struck by the ball is more likely in the form of a defensive DFK or INDFK, where, like a goal kick, the ball must first travel completely outside the PA to be in play!
The ONLY restart possible if the ball makes it into play first, then contacts an official, then rebounds into the goal, is a CORNER KICK! It is against the LOTG to score DIRECTLY against yourself on a restart. Given the CR (center referee) is considered as a field condition, like a goal post, it is NOT a NEW or 2nd touch, only the continuation of ball movement off the initial kickers' foot.

If the ball contacts the official inside the PA, then into goal, it is a retake. I have seen ONE very silly incident where the defensive free kick was taken from inside the PA The referee had turned and began running down field. He had not quite exited the PA when the kicker hit the ball right into the back top of his head. He was knocked down but the attacking team jumped quickly on the ball, which rebounded outside the PA and promptly took a shot that sailed high over the crossbar. The referee was fortunate they did not score as technically it could be a good goal. The excuse, "I was not ready!", MIGHT fly, but egg on the face would remain. lol

In cases where I am near or in the PA on a free kick headed out of the PA, I might even request the kicker wait until I have withdrawn to a better location. In a men's match, after the keeper took an ugly tumble into the post while making a save, I dropped the ball uncontested to the keeper inside his PA goal area to restart after the injury stoppage. This keeper could boot the ball almost into the opposing goal, so I asked him to give me a few moments to retreat before blasting it down field. Lets just say 6 seconds was not on the clock at this point. lol

For the same player to kick a ball into play, which then rebounds off the official back to him, where he kicks the ball again, is technically a 2nd touch violation and an INDFK restart from where it was rekicked/played subject to the special circumstances from within the goal area, no kick is closer than 6 yds. on a straight pull back. We talk about situational awareness a great deal ! Trust me here, this is one of those time when a referee should be well aware of the situation!
Cheers