Question Number: 15457

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 5/11/2007

RE: competive Adult

phil of palmdale, ca usa asks...

player has a free direct kick out-side the 18teen yard line. goulkeepper set's his defence on the goul-line. player kick's the ball keepper can't get to it on time, so the defence player jumps and hangs on the goul pole and hits the ball out with his head. what call should the ref make on that play, and what is the re-start..

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

This is unsporting behavior, and the player should be cautioned and shown the yellow card. The restart is an indirect free kick; it is not a penalty kick because it is not a foul. Since the location of the incident was right at the goal mouth, the ball is moved out to the long edge of the goal area ("the 6 yard line") for the restart.

Now comes the interesting part. Does it qualify as Denying an Obvious Goal-Scoring Opportunity (DOGSO)? One of the criteria for DOGSO is an that it involves an offense punished by a free kick. Since Law 12 does not say direct free kick, the indirect kick for the misconduct would seem to apply, so the caution for USB should be "upgraded" to a send-off red card for DOGSO. Several years back, USSF was of the opinion that DOGSO did apply, the caution should be changed to a send-off, and they asked FIFA/IFAB for a confirmation. At that time they had not yet received a response; I don't know if there has ever been a confirmation. Based on some items in the FIFA Q&A documents over the past couple years, it can be inferred that FIFA/IFAB are of the opinion that it should NOT be upgraded to DOGSO.

Perhaps all this is getting too deep for this question, much more information than you really wanted to know. Regardless, the actions of the player are improper and must be sanctioned as misconduct.

Answer provided by Referee Ben Mueller

This is an example of unsporting behavior and the guilty player shall be cautioned and shown the yellow card. As to the restart, the referee should award an IFK at the spot of the misconduct. In this case, it was in the goal area and thus the IFK is taken from the closes point on the top of the goal area to where the infraction took place. If the referee rules that an obvious goal scoring opportunity was denied, then the cautionjable offense turns into a send off offense, but the restart is still a IFK. Lots of things the referee must consider when deciding if DOGSO applies here, but the main one is was the ball heading into the goal or was it going go to go over the cross bar.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

If the ball was kept from going into the goal by this action, the defender has denied a goal by committing an offence punishable by a free kick against an opponent heading towards the goal and should be sent off and shown the red card. Since this is misconduct and not a foul, the restart is an IFK.

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

For those referees sending off a player for this, they must remember that no offence has been committed until he is cautioned and shown the yellow card. This establishes the restart as a free kick [indirect] and allows the referee to interpret sending-off offence number 5 as denies a goal to the opposing team. The mechanic is going to be caution and then send-off the ape hanger.

Play is stopped for misconduct, that misconduct is an offence punishable by a free kick.

Regards,

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

See Question: 15637

See Question: 15658