Question Number: 31554

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 5/20/2017

RE: Adult

Brian Lee of Wishaw, North Lanarkshire United Kingdom asks...

if a goal keeper deliberately handles a ball outside the area but the play continues and the attacking team score does the referee
A) allow the goal to stand and card the keeper
B)disallow the goal and award a direct free kick and send keeper off

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Brian,
if a CR is permitting play to continue after a keeper has deliberately handled the ball outside his own PA.
The officials are Playing Advantage by either
(a)Signaling it!
(b)Delaying the whistle to await an outcome
CR is simply allowing play to continue because:
(1) there was no foul seen
(2)the handling was seen as accidental play on
Given the team attacking has made no infringement against the LOTG the goal scored should count.
IF the CR was informed by the AR or the CR knew that the keeper had deliberately handled the ball in an effort to break the attack or stop a goal given a goal WAS scored there is NO reason to show a red card for DOGSOh as nothing was denied . There MIGHT be reason to show a yellow card and caution for the USB of trying to do something to prevent the goal if it was necessary for match control but one might easily dismiss the need to show a card and simple warn the keeper he is fortunate goal wipes out the attempted injustice & restart with kick off. Mind you IF the referee had not played advantage and unwisely whistled play dead for the foul by the keeper BEFORE the goal was scored then it is most likely we have the DFK and red card send off the keeper. Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Hi Brian,
The correct answer is 'none of the above.' In the scenario you describe, the referee should apply the advantage and allow the goal. However there is no mandatory requirement to caution the keeper. The law says that it is only a cautionable offence if in addition to it being deliberate, the player handled the ball to interfere with or stop a promising attack. Even if the referee thought that might have been the intent, in this case the attack was not stopped, so I can see the argument for saying that the keeper does not even need to be cautioned especially when, as Ref Dawson mentions, a goal had already been scored.

I suppose the referee could decide to caution the keeper if so desired but could equally decide that a warning would be sufficient in these particular circumstances.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Brian
The game is about scoring goals so the referee should do all that he can to allow goals. In the case the best decision is to play advantage and to award the goal. There is no requirement to card the goalkeeper in the case where play continues with a goal scored.
Now in practise it is not always possible or it just does not work out that way. I always cite the example of the 2005 Champions League Final between Arsenal and Barcelona. Lehmann the Arsenal goalkeeper fouled Eto outside the penalty area and the referee Terge Hauge awarded a free kick and sent off the goalkeeper for denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity. Just as the referee blew the whistle the ball continued on to Giuly who scored. That goal had be be cancelled and the restart was a direct free kick just outside the penalty area . It took Barca some 75 minutes to score in the game having trailed for much of the time. Now the referee admitted later that he was too hasty with the whistle and the best decision would have been to play advantage, award the goal and then not to have to send the Arsenal goalkeeper off. It did not work out that way.
http://www.uefa.org/video/referees/videoid=746585.html?autoplay=true#latest
Had Barcelona failed to score it would have been little consolation that the GK was sent off and a good goal cancelled because advantage was not played. It turned out okay but it is always much better to go with the advantage and goal when it presents that way.