Question Number: 34515

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 2/23/2022

Petr of Prague, Czech Republic Czech Republic asks...

Hello,

one question, please.

Situation:

Player passes into his own penalty area. Ball enters this penalty area. The ball is there without any further touch. The referee orders the dropped ball at that moment.

Where is the point of restart?

Thank you very much!

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Petr,
The reason for a DB may create the restart spot based on who last touched/had possesson, plus the timing of the stoppage? Your senario says the defender last played the ball inside his own area, hence they had possession and thus a drop to their keeper seems in order?
If the ball is being dropped INSIDE the PA then only the keeper will participate. In this case a DB to the keeper solves the situation!

To take it back outside the PA, referee may well feel the restart needs to go to who had possession? If a player was injured and the attacker played the ball onto the defending PA and the referee felt the player was seriously injured & needed treatment thus stopping play it might reflect whethe the team touching the ball outside had a better claim then the team inside.


Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Hi Petr,

According to Law 8:

"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 ..."

So in the case you describe, the ball will be dropped for the defending team goalkeeper. The exact point of the DB is up to the referee.

In most cases I can recall, it is pretty much wherever the goalkeeper is when the referee approaches them. That's often (but not always) somewhere between the edge of the penalty area and the penalty mark but it doesn't really matter too much because once the keeper has the ball, they are free to move to where they want, before releasing it.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Peter
As play was stopped inside the penalty area the Law requires that the game is restarted with a dropped ball inside the penalty area to the goalkeeper. It is not clearly spelt out the exact location and it probably does not make a lot of difference other than what is the intention of the goalkeeper and how far an opponent may have to move to ensure the goalkeeper picks the ball up yet that is a minor matter.

Generally play does not move very far from where the ball was located when the play is stopped so that is the location that referees will chose.