Question Number: 33526

Law 8 - The Start and Restart of Play 7/17/2019

RE: Competitive Adult

Shaun of Melbourn, Australia asks...

I was involved in a theory test and I had this multiple choice question:
A player takes a free kick from inside the goal line the ball hits the referee and enters the goal what decision should the referee make?
A order the free kick to be retaken
B Award the goal
C Award a corner kick
D All of the Answers may be correct
I ticked the B, but I am not sure if I hit the right one. Some argued with me that D is correct.
What is the correct answer and why.
Thanks

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

HI Shaun,
What are you taking about?
"A player takes a free kick from inside the goal line?"

The LOTG have been revised as of the last IFAB/FIFA review this June 2019.
Prior to this year,the referee was considered as part of the FOP and any ball that struck him was simply play on as if it had not.

Is this player an opponent attacking trying to score or a defender playing the ball out?

For some reason I am thinking you are referring to a defending free kick headed out of the goal area? On free kicks headed OUT, the ball CAN be placed anywhere within the goal area. Under the old LOTG the ball had to leave the PA (18 yard penalty area) to be in play that is NO longer true . Under the old LOTG if the ball hit the referee inside the PA and went into the goal it would be retaken! ONLY if the ball had completely exited outside the PA (to be in play) & then struck the referee & then crossed the goal line would it be a corner kick.

Under the new LOTG the ball is NOW in play when it is kicked and moved on any outgoing free kick from within the PA (of which the 6 yard goal area is part of)

So upon this outgoing free kick striking the referee, assuming it was not done deliberately as an attack of VC , in which case a PK with red card send off reduce the team a player if the referee was struck inside the PA & a DFK with red card send off reduce the team a player if the referee was struck outside the PA.

If we have a simple ball kicked by the defender, now in play, ball hits referee, ball enters goal. It is NO goal, drop ball to the keeper at where the keeper was struck if the referee was inside the PA, or a drop ball to any defender if the referee was outside the PA when he was struck.

Now if we are talking an attacking INDFK from inside the 6 yard goal area that was incorrectly placed?

The free kick must be a minimum of 6 yards away on the outer edge of the goal area line that parallels the actual goal line In such a case it would be retaken and a word said or card possibly shown to the kicker who did it! The free kick must be legally put in play! The referee must be satisfied in any circumstances this is true & is ok with the restart proceeding!

Did you mean the 18 yard penalty area?
Is this an attacking INDFK?

In this incident if the free kick was an attacking INDFK, the goal would not have stood, restart goal kick and the referee would get some harsh critique for standing in such a poor position as to create this kerfuffle.

If this was an attacking DFK free kick from outside the PA, the goal would have stood, restart kick off and again the referee would get some harsh critique for standing in such a poor position as to create this kerfuffle.

The new answer here is, if the free kick is taken correctly and on its journey its hits the referee then deflected into the goal the correct restart is a drop ball from where it struck the referee . Based on the wording in deciding who gets the drop ball? If it is an INDFK from inside the penalty area, because the last touch of the ball was in the penalty area, give it to the keeper via the drop ball to restart play.

If this was a DFK from outside the PA , the ball was last touched by an attacker but the ball was last inside the PA, give it to the keeper via the drop ball to restart play.

Only if the referee was OUTSIDE the PA and say the ball smashed off him into the goal by some weird bounce, would I drop-ball to the attackers. I should point out, you can not score directly from a drop ball.


This is just fun REFLECTION NONE OF THIS APPLIES TODAY!
Although the question worded seems rather odd, under the old LOTG a defending outgoing goal kick which is a dfk, depending on the referee location & which goal, you could make a case for D (but not if an outbound indfk)
A order the goal kick to be retaken (ball did not leave PA when it hit referee)
B Award the goal (ball left PA hit keeper or vice versa ball then went into the other goal) lol heck of a kick wind assist smaller field doubtful but theoretical
C Award a corner kick (ball left PA and then came back in off the referee as an own goal off restart, can not score directly against yourself)
D All of the Answers may be correct (B was a huge stretch but black holes do exist)


FIFA IFAB quotes

Law 8 THE START AND RESTART OF PLAY

2. DROPPED BALL
Procedure
The ball is dropped for the defending team goalkeeper in their penalty area if, when play was stopped:

the ball was in the penalty area or

the last touch of the ball was in the penalty area

In all other cases, the referee drops the ball for one player of the team that last touched the ball at the position where it last touched a player, an outside agent or, as outlined in Law 9.1, a match official

All other players (of both teams) must remain at least 4 m (4.5 yds) from the ball until it is in play

LAW 9
1. BALL OUT OF PLAY
The ball is out of play when:

it has wholly passed over the goal line or touchline on the ground or in the air

play has been stopped by the referee

it touches a match official, remains on the field of play and:

a team starts a promising attack or

the ball goes directly into the goal or

the team in possession of the ball changes

In all these cases, play is restarted with a dropped ball.

End of quotes
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Hi Shaun,
I'm not really sure what you mean here. A free kick cannot be taken from behind the goal line.

Perhaps you meant 'inside the goal area'? If so, the correct answer would be E: None of the above.

As ref Dawson has pointed out, if a ball hits the referee and goes directly into the goal, the correct decision is a dropped ball.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Shaun
Not sure when this question was asked and under what Laws of the Game.
Under the current Laws the ball is in play when it is kicked from within the penalty area and it does not have to leave the area to be in play. Prior to June 1st 2019 the answer was different and it depended on where the referee was located. In any event it could not be B as a team cannot score on itself from any restart.
The answer now is a dropped ball from where the ball hit the referee. If it hits the referee inside the penalty area the goalkeeper picks the ball up after it touches the ground on the dropped ball. If it hits the referee outside the area the ball is dropped to the goalkeeper or a team mate with the opponents 4.5 yards from the ball. Obviously outside the penalty area the goalkeeper cannot pick the ball up yet he can play it uncontested in the same way as an outfield player.
As a side note the referee can opine that if he is not ready for any restart he can ask for the restart to be taken again. That though is not what is asked in the question.