Question Number: 15040

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 3/24/2007

RE: Rec Under 15

George Walker of Mesa, AZ U.S. asks...

If a defender receives the ball and kicks it straight up in the air, and the keeper catches it with his hands and then kicks it. Is that a pass? Should the keeper have kicked it? It went from a defender to a keeper but I guess it was not deliberate. Let me know, because it was not called as a penalty, and the keeper was okay in catching it and then kicking it.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi George ,
the law states
An indirect free kick is awarded to the opposing team if a goalkeeper, inside his own penalty area, commits the following offence: touches the ball with his hands after it has been deliberately kicked to him by a team-mate.

A deflection or a miss kick by the team-mate does not constitute a deliberate kick to the keeper if the referee is of that opinion then your senario was ok to proceed as it did! Thumbs up for the good no call!
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Hi George. Keep in mind that FIFA was trying to decrease the amount of time wasting by not allowing the keeper to use his hands when the ball is deliberately kicked to him by a teammate. FIFA did NOT mean to punish misplays or inadvertant kicks. Of course, the most important part of an answer to your question is; if in the opinion of the referee, the kicking of the ball is deemed to be deliberate, then the keeper may not legally handle the ball.

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

The referee will intervene when he is of the opinion that a ball is deliberately kicked to the goalkeeper and the keeper uses his hands. That is the Law. If he is of the opinion, even though the ball was deliberately kicked, it went in a direction not intended because of a lack of skill, pressure by an opponent, wind or bounding off a match official, on the field of play, then there is no breach of the Law.

In this case your opinion was the latter, the ball was deliberately kicked and it went someplace then the keeper used his hands. Your opinion was play continues. Super!

Answer provided by Referee Ben Mueller

Sounds like this was a good no call. The defender must have kicked the ball deliberatly to the keeper for this to warrant a free kick infraction. If the defender miss kicks the ball, then that does not constitute the definition of kicks the ball deliberatly here.