Question Number: 31391

Law 10 - Determining the Outcome of a Match 3/26/2017

RE: Adult

Ajax of LONDON, United Kingdom asks...

Team A has a corner,the players take up there positions,the referee is standing outside the box.
The ball comes in and a player from team B kicks the ball clear; only for it to ricochet off the referee back and into the goal.
My question is in 3 parts.
A. Does the goal stand?
B. Is it classed as an own goal, as the referee isn't a player?
C. Does the referee have an option to disallow the goal?

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Ajax,
legal goal.
more than likely an own goal if a defender last touched it but that is NOT f a referee concern
No a referee is part of the FOP and while he could feel like utter crap there is no legal basis to take away that goal unless he was unconscious with no neutral ARs to validate .
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi
Unfortunately it is a goal and nothing that the referee can do other than allow it. The only possible exception is that if the ball was kicked do hard that the referee was incapacitated and he did not see the goal with no neutral assistants to help make the call.
If you think it is not possible then have a look at this video.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=M_euHnegML8
The ball was going wide until it hit the referee.
In respect of your follow on questions
A. Yes a goal
B. Goal will be credited to the last player to touch the ball
C. No with the one exception of being incapacitated through the strike of the ball while on his own with no confirmed independent knowledge of what happened such as advice from an AR.

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

A. Yes (unless as stated, neither he nor any other match official sees the goal being scored).
B. Probably, but an official answer is not possible based on the Laws as they contain no provisions about who is credited with a goal.
C. No (with same caveat as A.)