Question Number: 31549

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 5/19/2017

RE: 6 Adult

Terry Catigoudis of High Wycombe, Bucks UK asks...

I was asked a question..... a goalkeeper chips the ball out of the area and a defender heads it back to him - would that be allowed ? Would it make a difference if it was intentional or just a miskick headed back ?

Thank you

Terry

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Terry
The answer depends if the action was done to circumvent the Law. If it was circumvention to Law 12 it is a caution and an IDFK from where the offence took place.
I think in reality it would be difficult to prove that the action was deliberate circumvention and therefore there would be no action taken. I could not really see a referee cautioning the goalkeeper for this. Without the caution it is play on.
Anyway I see little merit in the action in that at best it might use up a few seconds depending on the location of the attackers and also runs the risk of losing the ball.

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Hi Terry,
This is a slightly grey area in the law but I agree with ref McHugh that it would be unusual and unlikely for this to result in an offence being called. Certainly if, as one of the alternatives you mention, this was a miskick by the keeper then it definitely could not be seen as a 'deliberate trick' as required by the law.

For me, the decisive factor would probably be the distance involved. The way you describe it, as a chip from inside the area to a team mate located (presumably) some distance away, I would be hard pressed to see how this would fall within the parameters of a deliberate trick. However, if the keeper and defender were standing right next to reach other and the keeper 'scooped' the ball up to the team mate's head - and with no opponents around who could challenge for the ball, I might take a different view.