Question Number: 34601

Law 8 - The Start and Restart of Play 5/25/2022

RE: 7 Under 19

Jeff Galatin of Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire U.K. asks...

A direct free kick has been taken. Instead of kicking forward the ball is kicked back to his own goalkeeper. The goalie does not touch the ball and it goes into the goal of the kicker’s team. What decision should the ref make?

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Hi Jeff,
The referee should award a corner kick. This is clearly specified in Law 13, as follows:

"if a direct or indirect free kick is kicked directly into the team’s own goal, a corner kick is awarded"

In fact, a goal basically cannot be scored in a team's own goal from any dead ball restart. The law says that if a player puts the ball directly into their own net from a kick off, free kick, throw in, goal kick or corner kick, the result is a corner kick to the opposing team.

While nothing is actually specified in law for a penalty kick and it would be almost impossible for such a scenario to occur, since a penalty must be kicked forward, in the almost inconceivable situation of a penalty kick hitting the crossbar, rebounding to the other end of the pitch and entering the player's goal, I would say that the same general principle would apply, and the result should also be a corner kick.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Jeff
Thanks for the question.
A team cannot score directly on itself on any restart. So the correct decision is a corner kick.

Indeed in the unusual situation of the ball entering a team’s own goal directly from a kick off, corner kick or goal kick the restart is a corner kick.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Jeff,
quick easy answer, it's a corner kick
a team CAN NOT score DIRECTLY against itself as long as the ball was legally put into play on the restart. This includes a throw-in as well as any free-kick including the kick-off which can now go backward unlike a PK which must go forward, as the ball is last touched by the defence, before completely crossing their own goal line, in or outside the goal, hence the corner restart!

However, if any teammate or opposition inadvertently or purposefully had the 2nd touch, after it was kicked, then it would count as a goal even if it was an illegal defending 2nd touch (like a handling or illegal use of the keeper's hands on a ball deliberately kicked to him by the teammate!

Where I am a bit uncertain is if the same player tried to stop it and kicked it a 2nd time or handled it but failed to prevent the ball from entering his OWN goal would we INDFK or DFK the action as opposed to a corner kick or even award the goal since it did NOT enter the goal directly? Even a bit more bizarre, even if he cannot SCORE directly, he could in theory deny a OGSO by beating an opponent to the ball to clear!

Cheers