Question Number: 33835

Law 16 - The Goal Kick 1/12/2020

RE: Adult

GARRY of Selby, England asks...

If a goalkeeper takes a goal kick and the wind blows the ball back into his goal net is a goal given

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

HI Garry, a goal kick is a TYPE of free kick awarded to the defenders after the opposition have last touched the ball when it exited the FOP over the goal line but not for a goal.
The LOTG state you can not score against yourself directly off a restart. So if the ball is not contacted a 2nd time by any other player including the keeper themselves PRIOR to entering the goal under the crossbar and between the posts the restart would be a corner kick to the attackers.
If this was ACTIVE play and the keeper was punting or throwing the ball into the wind and it came back THAT would be a legal goal.
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Hi Gary,
No, this would be a corner. Law 16 - The Goal Kick, quite clearly states this, as follows:

''A goal may be scored directly from a goal kick, but only against the opposing team; if the ball directly enters the kicker's goal, a corner kick is awarded to the opponents.''

As ref McHugh says, it is a general principle in the laws that a team cannot score against itself directly from one of its own restarts. The only way it could be a goal, would be if it touched a player again, before entering the net.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Garry
Thanks for the question.
There is a principle in the Laws that a team cannot score DIRECTLY on itself from any restart including a goal kick. The same would apply to any free kick, kick off or the highly unlikely one of a corner kick. The same applies to any throw in and should the defending team throw it into its goal it is a corner kick while an attacking one is a goal kick.
The penalty kick has to be kicked forward so an own goal is not going to happen there.
The restart in your scenario is a corner kick as quoted by Referee Grove as it would be in the other restarts.
By the way under the recent change the ball is in play when it is kicked and moved. In the past the ball had to leave the penalty area to be in play so historically it was either a retake if it did not leave the penalty area and a corner kick if it did go outside and blown back in.
That has all changed now so it is a corner kick in all scenarios.
In this example it should NOT have been a goal
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGP2UBznQy8&app=desktop
The correct decision was a corner kick as the ball did not touch any other player before entering the goal directly from the goal kick.
Had the ball been touched for a second time the goal would have been good. That did not happen.