Question Number: 31576

Other 6/2/2017

adam wallace of nakayama, yamagata Japan asks...

another futsal question.
for a shot just before the buzzer that hits a defender (not gk) does the play end when it hits him or does it count as a goal if it goes in after that?
again-thanks

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Adam
With the caveat of not seeing amended laws my understanding is that If the ball has been played towards one of the goals before the timekeeper sounds the buzzer, the referees must wait for the kick to end before announcing the end of the period or match with a whistle. The period or match ends when:the ball touches the goalkeeper or another player in the defending team, the goalposts, crossbar or ground, crosses the goal line and a goal is scored. The corollary of that is when the defending goalkeeper or another player in the defending team touches the ball or it rebounds from the goalposts or crossbar and does not cross the goal line the game ends there and it is signalled by the referee.
So in your example the goal is awarded if the ball deflects off a player at the time of the buzzer. The referee waits until the outcome of the shot and then signals the end of the game with the whistle.