Question Number: 31187

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 1/17/2017

RE: All levels Other

Derek of Cary, IL USA asks...

A teammate cannot use trickery to allow his goalkeeper to legally use his hands. If the referee stops play for this, where is the IFK taken? From where the keeper touches the ball with his hands, or where his teammate used the tricky tactic?

I am more inclined to put it where the teammate used the trickery as this would also be a caution for USB.

A second question: The teammate attempts the tricky move, but his goalkeeper is smart enough to not use his hands in this situation and instead kicks the ball away. Would this still be a USB for the tricky player and would you stop play to issue the caution?

I'd let play continue as there was no harm, no foul. No caution needed.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

Since the offense is the trick, the restart is taken at the point where the trick was performed.

And again, since the offense is the trick, it is immaterial whether the goalkeeper uses her hands or not. The offense happened before the keeper had the opportunity to make that decision.

That said, this should be a very rare call for a ref to make. I don't believe I ever called it in 16 years of reffing youth play.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Derek
The IDFK is taken from where the offence took place that is the point of the trickery not from where the goalkeeper handled the ball.
Also the law is quite clear on this. It makes no difference should the goalkeeper decide not to use his hands as the USB trickery has already taken place. Perhaps a referee might let it slide on the basis that either he does not know the law or as you point out there was no harm or disadvantage to the opponents and he does not want to deal with it by a caution.
In a recent MLS game such an offence was not called and there was uncertainty as to the reason for the non call. Some suggested that it is so rare a call much like the 6 seconds that it should be seen as trifling? The closest Red opponent was nonplussed about the action and perhaps the referee was unsure as it is a very rare offence or that he was advised that it is *trifling*
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NIV4Pi6UwjI

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Hi Derek,
Unlike the offence where a goalkeeper handles a ball deliberately kicked by a team mate, the offence here is committed by the player using the deliberate trick, not by the goalkeeper. So the free kick is indeed taken from where the deliberate trick took place. Also, it doesn't matter whether the keeper uses the hands or not, an offence has already been committed once a trick is used. The harm (as you put it) has already occurred and according to the law, you cannot choose to ignore this. Play must be stopped and to use the words of the law, the ''player must be cautioned [...] whether or not the goalkeeper touches the ball with the hands.''

As my colleagues have mentioned, this is a rare offence and there is a chance that a referee might never come across this in an entire career.