Question Number: 32291

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 3/9/2018

RE: PREMIER Adult

IBRAHIM ISHIAKU of LOKOJA, KOGI NIGERIA asks...

What will be the decision of the referee if a defending player gives a strong and aerial back pass to his goal keeper. The goal keeper could not control it whilst it was in the air and the ball was entering the goal. The keeper saved the ball by the use of the hand?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Ibrahim
If the referee determines that the kick to the goalkeeper was a deliberate kick by a team mate then the goalkeeper may not uses his hand/s to touch / play the ball.
To do so is an offence punished by an indirect free kick from where the ball was touched by the hand. As it happens inside the penalty area the goalkeeper cannot be sanctioned with any card for a handling offence.
So the decision is an IDFK only. A DOGSO red card or a caution is not possible under the Laws.
If the GK did not prevent the goal then advantage is played and the goal awarded.
By the way the reason for these no card decisions on GKs is that the law makers did not want to stop GKs doing what they have to do which is to use hands to stop the ball. They wanted to stop the GKs using hands on a deliberate kick to him by a team mate. There is no GK in the world that is not going to use his hands to stop a goal no matter who deliberately plays the ball. So the sanction is an IDFK ONLY with no card. Outside the oenalty area the GK is treated like any outfield player with a DFK and a card can be issued if the referee so decides based on the conditions such as breaking up a promising attack, denying a goal scoring opportunity etc.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

HI IBRAHIM,
if the referee is of the opinion the defender deliberately kicked the ball TO his keeper by the LOTG the keeper can not use their hands even if the attempt was accidently destined for the goal. WE do not reward mistakes.
The only recourse is an INDFK from the point of the handling subject to the special circumstances in the goal area and if the handling did not stop the goal the result would be a kick off as the advantage of the goal out weighs the INDFK. There is NO cardable misconduct here, an INDFK producing a scoring chance from nothing is plenty!

Granted IF the kick was a slice or errant ball blown askew in the wind and thus not strictly dedicated as a deliberate kick pass to the keeper we MIGHT see it as a non infringement and overlook the INDFK offence for illegal use of hands if we held the opinion it was not a deliberately kicked ball directed towards the keeper .
Cheers