Question Number: 32652

Law 16 - The Goal Kick 8/17/2018

RE: Various Other

Sam of El Dorado Hills, CA USA asks...

This question is a follow up to question 32275

While I agree that the ball must leave the penalty area to be in play, the real question for me is must the ball be in play for a goal kick to be 'complete'? LOTG do not make such a distinction. In this scenario, the ball HAS left the penalty area -- The area bounded by these lines and the goal line is the penalty area -- it just didn't end up in play. And the LOTG do not dictate that the ball must start in play to award a corner kick; just that it is 'awarded when the whole of the ball passes over the goal line, on the ground or in the air, having last touched a player of the defending team, and a goal is not scored'.

So if goal kick is complete when ball leaves the penalty area (whether in play or not), then awarding a corner would be the right call.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

The rewritten Laws strike again. And the 'everyone knows' attitude from IFAB when clearly everyone does not know.

It used to read, 'The ball is in play when it is kicked directly out of the penalty area.' And there was plenty of supporting documentation that made it clear it meant '... and into the rest of the field.'

There is also the general principle that nothing that happens while the ball is not in play can change the restart. That's been corrupted by a couple of specific situations in the last several years, but it still holds true for goal kicks (and other kicks taken from within the penalty area). Since the ball didn't go into play, the restart can't change - it's still a goal kick.

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Hi Sam,
As ref Voshol points out, the law is no longer as well written as it used to be in dealing with this situation. However it is still the case now, as it always has been, that any goal kick that does not leave the penalty area and enter the field of play, must be retaken.

As he also says, there is the general principle applicable throughout the Laws that nothing that happens when the ball is out of play, can change the restart. So in this situation where the restart is a goal kick, when the ball crossed the end line it had never been in play so the only option is a retake.

This was expressed in a previous FIFA Q&A as follows:

''Q. A player takes a goal kick and the ball passes over the goal line without having passed out of the penalty area. What action does the referee take?
A. The goal kick is retaken.''

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

HI Sam
when they rewrite the LOTG, the explained sections of what we al know to be true are not always carried forward in an easy to understand format.
If the ball does not COMPLETELY exit the PA before entering into the FOP or exits the FOP before it clears the PA as in entering the goal itself or going over either of the two 18 yard parallel goal lines on either side of the post to the intersection of the perpendicular lines extending into the FOP it would ALWAYS be a retake. It could ONLY be a corner if the ball was directly kicked completely outside the PA and then exits over the goal line from the intersection point of the PA on the goal line to either corner flag.
Cheers