Question Number: 15617

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 5/26/2007

RE: High School

Philip Reese of Coffeyville, Kansas USA asks...

Team A receives a dfk 3 yds. outside Penalty Box.
Team B set up wall inside Goal Box. Teammate of Team A kicker sets up just behind the wall facing the Goalie. As the kicker starts to move foward to kick the ball, the teammate move in the same direction as the goalie to block his vision of seeing the travel of the ball.
A goal is made. Is this Obstruction?
Philip

Answer provided by Referee Steve Montanino

No. Simply moving in the direction of the keeper is not sufficent to punish a player for impeding the progress of an opponent. There would have to be something more -- or at least we would need to see it to tell you for sure.

Though, if he was in an offside position when the kick was taken he may have interfered with the goalkeeper and may have been offside which would be reason to disallow the goal. However, you do not provide us with enough information to know if this could be the case or not.

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

Amazing the wall is set at 15 yards, simply amazing. I don't think I've ever seen players do that, on their own, in the 50+ years I've been associated with The Game. I probably would have taken no notice of what an attacker was doing because I would have been dumbstruck by where the wall was.

As defined in the High School rules obstruction is what the rest of the world calls impeding the progress of an opponent. That has nothing to do with blocking the vision of the keeper, something that is forbidden when in an offside position. Besides that's called interfering with an opponent, even in USA High School. Unless the player is offside, he's OK doing this.

Regards,

Answer provided by Referee Ben Mueller

The player is entitled to his position. Provided the player obstructing keepers vision is NOT in an offside position, no problem with this.