Question Number: 32390

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 4/20/2018

RE: Rec Under 12

Jose Llopis of Vicksburg, MS USA asks...

The ball is kicked to the keeper by an opponent and the keeper receives it with his feet. The keeper then dribbles the ball out of the penalty box, kicks it back into the penalty box where he handles the ball prior to anybody else touching it. Is this a foul? If so, should it be an indirect free kick?

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

Hi Jose,

First place to check is always Law 12 - that lists all the fouls that are relevant to only the keeper.

An indirect free kick is awarded if a goalkeeper, inside their penalty area, commits any of the following offences:

- controls the ball with the hands for more than six seconds before releasing it
- touches the ball with the hands after:
- releasing it and before it has touched another player
- it has been deliberately kicked to the goalkeeper by a team-mate
- receiving it directly from a throw-in taken by a team-mate

'Control' refers to handling the ball when it comes to a keeper. So the keeper hasn't received it by a deliberate kick or TI from a teammate, and the keeper never handled it initially - not until the keeper picked it up.
No offence has been committed.
If the keeper receives the ball from an opponent or unintentionally from a teammate, it doesn't matter where they receive it or where/how long they run around with it for at their feet - as long as there is no double handling, it's fine.

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Hi Jose,
This is not an offence. A goalkeeper receiving the ball from an opponent is allowed to use the hands to contact the ball inside the penalty area, whether they have dribbled it outside the area or not.

Ref Wright has given quotes from the relevant parts of the law.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

HI Jose,
there is no restriction in place. I do recall when they first introduced this portion of law.( pass back concept) I felt if the keeper had passed it to himself he somehow was circumventing the LOTG restriction I was wrong back then and realized the reasoning was to stop time wasting not to prevent the keeper from legally using up time.
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Jose
The restriction only applies if the ball is deliberately kicked to the goalkeeper by a team mate not by an opponent. So no offence for what you describe.
Had the goalkeeper picked the ball up from an opponent and then released it to the ground the goalkeeper is restricted from touching the ball again with the hands until it has touched an opponent or played to him by a team mate in a manner that allows him to use his hands such as a header etc.

The following questions were asked as a follow up to the above question...

See Question: 32418