Question Number: 15052

Law 5 - The Referee 3/27/2007

RE: college team College

John Hodge of Covina, Ca USA asks...

This is a question regarding Injury to Goal Keeper. I remember reading in the Laws of the game at one time, that when a goal keeper is injured, that play stops at that moment. During a recent game, the goal keeper was knocked unconcious, by the attacking player jumping over the keeper (on hands and knees after deflecting kick off solar plexes) going after the ball, and unintentionally kicking the keeper in the head. With the Keeper unconcious flat on her face at the edge of the PA, the referee allowed play to continue where the attacking player had no further opposition and walked the ball into the goal. The referee allowed the goal, then stopped the game "for 15-20 mins while the trainers tried to wake up the goalie".

Was the referee correct to let play continue. I have asked several referees this question, (college referees) and some say no and some say yes...

My thought is that if play is allowed to continue after keeper injured, then attacking team is incentivised to make hard challenges to keeper in hope of keeper injury, and free goal.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

HI John ,
you do have a point, perception could sway some to think retailiation if they feel the result was unfair.

A referee CAN stop play immediately if he is of the opinion the injury is of a serious nature.

Safety must always be a priority but if the goal was a result of active play and the crunch was not percieved as a foul it might take a few moments to realize the extent of a keeper's injury and if the ball was headed into the goal the referee may well decide the goal was going to happen and then check on the keeper as a bang bang type of play.

In my opinion if I saw the cruch and realized it was a SERIOUS head injury, keeper unconcious, blood or bones breaking whistle long and hard and get the medical people in there toot sweet! Play stops, ball headed into goal will not count.


If I saw the crunch and felt the delay of treatment in that a few seconds of the ball rolling into goal would not change the outcome I might allow play to continue even as I was trying to get a response from the POSSIBLY injured player only now I know it was serious after the evaluation not before!
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Ben Mueller

If in the opinion of the referee a player is severely injured, then the referee should stop play. If the referee deems the player slightly injured, then play continues until the ball is out of play next. This is what the LOTG tell us to do here.

The following questions were asked as a follow up to the above question...

See Question: 15066