Question Number: 32489

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 6/2/2018

RE: Recreational Under 15

Lee Cooper of Wainwright, Alberta Cansda asks...

An outfield player takes a goal kick.
He passes the ball to his goalkeeper who has run to just outside the 18 yard box, parallel with the 6 yard box.
The goalkeeper controls the ball with his feet outside the 18 yard box taps it back inside the 18 yard box and picks up the ball.
Is this permissible or has a foul occurred?

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

HI Lee
NOT permissible!
An infringement occurred the moment the keeper used his hands!
Why?
Because he received the ball directly from a team mates deliberate kick!

He is allowed in Law to use any other legal body part to play the ball but the restriction REMAINS no matter how long he dribbles or kicks the ball around until ANY other player has made contact with that ball he is prevented from the use of hands on that ball.

An INDFK from the point of contact of the ball with the hands inside the PA a DFK outside the PA and a special circumstance if inside the goal area subject to law 13 at the outer edge of the 6 yd goal area.

Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Lee
This is an offence punished by an IDFK from where the goalkeeper uses his hands inside the penalty area.
The reason it is an offence is that the ball has been deliberately kicked to the goalkeeper by a team mate which then means the goalkeepers is restricted from using his hands no matter where he receives the ball or what he does.
For those of us around long enough before the misnomer *backpass* rule was introduced this was a ploy at goalkicks where some teams wanted to get the ball into the GKs hands for a punt. That all changed when the deliberate kick to the goalkeeper law was introduced. The direction of the kick makes no difference, nor does the restart such as a free kick, throw in, goalkick etc nor to where the ball is kicked to as long as the ball is deliberately kicked by a team mate to the goalkeeper or to a place where he can legally handle the ball.

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Hi Lee,
This is an offence. The law says:

''An indirect free kick is awarded if a goalkeeper, inside their penalty area [...] touches the ball with the hands [...] after it has been deliberately kicked to the goalkeeper by a team-mate''

What you have described is in contravention to this section of the Laws and so is not permissible.

It doesn't matter where the ball was kicked from or to, where the keeper was when they received the ball or what the keeper did with the ball before picking it up inside the penalty area - if was deliberately kicked by a team mate to the keeper and the goalie then picks it up inside the area, an offence has occurred.