Question Number: 15028

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 3/22/2007

RE: Select Under 15

Nick of Bethesda, Maryland USA asks...

This question is a follow up to question 14899

I'm still a bit unclear on your responses to # 14899. Assume a defender, with no one behind him other than the keeper, kicks the ball backwards into the area between the side of the penalty area and the touch line. If the keeper collects the ball and dribbles into the penalty area, may he then legally pick it up?
What if a throw-in by a teammate into the same area between the penalty area and the touch line, with no other field players around, is collected by the keeper and dribbled into the area. May he then legally pick it up?
Thanks.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

I'll be concise
1. NO. 2. NO.

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

Coach it is contrary to the Laws of the Game for the goalkeeper to handle a ball deliberately kicked to him by a team mate and it is contrary to the Laws of the Game for the goalkeeper to handle a ball he receives directly from a throw-in by a team mate.

I'm sorry if we were not clear on this, we can only relate what the Law states.

We can also say these things were instituted into Football, they prevent time wasting by teams with one goal leads in the closing minutes of a match.

This is a sky being blue or a 1+1=2 kind of thing, one doesn't have to know why one just believe...

Answer provided by Referee Ben Mueller

First if it is a throwin and the keeper handles the ball in penalty area before any player touches the ball, it MUST BE AN IFK for opponents. This is per the Laws of the Game. If it is a pass from a teammate, that pass must be from the foot and also kicked to the keeper deliberatly. If the referee is of the opinion that it was kicked deliberatly, then it is a IFK if keeper handles the ball.

Answer provided by Referee Debbie Hoelscher

To answer both questions simply, no.

In reference the way the original question was asked: "Can you please tell me whether it is legal to pass the ball back to the goalkeeper during normal play after it was last played by an opponent or one of your team mates. " The answer to that question is yes....it IS legal to pass the ball back to your own keeper. There is no ruling on this in FIFA or the IFAB Decisions or US Soccer simply because there is no infringment. The infringement to the LOTG occurs when the goal keeper chooses to use his priviledge of using his hands in his own penalty once a ball has been DELIBERATELY passed to him [or to an area that he can get] by a teammate.