Question Number: 15205

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 4/17/2007

RE: select Other

Anthony Territo of Glassport, pa USA asks...

If a player from the opposing team plays the ball outside the penalty area and the keeper comes out to play the ball with his feet, can he dribble back inside the penalty box and pick it up with his hands? in not is it an indirect kick at the spot of the foul?

Answer provided by Referee Debbie Hoelscher

yes. there's nothing wrong with that because the ball was not deliberately kicked to him by his own teammate.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

yes. He can always do this from an opponent but if the ball is deliberately kicked to him by a teammate, he may not.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Anthony,
this question or one similar has been asked almost 50 times this last few weeks so much so that we are seriously considering sending to FIFA a rewtitten version of the laws that deal with this issue of when and under what circumstances a keeper can use his hands inside his own area. Obviously the way it currently is presented does not seem to clarify that a Keeper can use his hands ALL the time to stop or pick up the ball inside his own penalty area. No matter how that ball arived there, the ONLY EXCEPTIONS are the four stated ILLEGAL handling situations listed as INDFK restarts in law 12 which if they have not occured, they are not in effect! When a keeper uses his hands is never the issue, what occured with that ball before he does so determines if he is to be punished or play continues.
Most times play continues but note the law requirements for when the hands cannot be used you will not see a pass to himself as a reason. Ask yourself, "What occurs before he takes or retakes ball possession?" Remember although possession with the hands is not the same as possession with the rest of the body ie as a dribble . His dribble or the way in which he controls the ball prior to using his hands does not forgive what happened to first get him that opportunity to play the ball initially!

In your senario the ball was last touched by an opponent thus no handling restriction other than a dfk outside of his penalty area could possibly apply. The fact he dribbled the ball back to anarea where in law he cOULD use his hands is a tactical decision and in your case perfectly legal.

An indirect free kick is awarded to the opposing team if a goalkeeper, inside his own penalty area, commits any of the following four offences:

takes more than six seconds while controlling the ball with his hands before releasing it from his possession

touches the ball again with his hands after it has been released from his possession and has not touched any other player

touches the ball with his hands after it has been deliberately kicked to him by a team-mate

touches the ball with his hands after he has received it directly from a throw-in taken by a team-mate.

Cheers