Question Number: 15642

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 5/29/2007

RE: AYSO Under 10

Julie of Meyersdale, Pa USA asks...

At my daughtres game the keeper came out of the box while trying to kick the ball the refs could not figure out what kind of penalty it was. They gave them a penalty kick. Was that the right call?

Answer provided by Referee Ben Mueller

No way! Should be a DFK at the spot where your daughter took the ball out of the penalty area with hands. This is the closest point that the ball can be to the penalty area w/o actually being in the area. A penalty kick can only be awarded if the dfk offense occurred inside of the penalty area.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Julie,
nothing about this sounds right!

I am assuming you are referring to a PUNT out, where by the keeper actually had ball possession inside her penalty area and she physically carried the ball in her hands COMPLETELY outside the PA boundary line before releasing it to be kicked?

It is not an offence for a keeper to kick the ball outside their penalty area . Once outside their own penalty area where the special use of the hands is no longer available, keepers are guided by the same laws as every other player on the pitch.
That is why it is an IMPOSSIBILITY, NEVER, EVER, NO, NOT, NO WAY, NADA for a PENALTY KICK to be awarded inside a keeper's OWN penalty area for a deliberate handling the ball violation by a keeper who carries the ball in her hands completely OUTSIDE the penalty area. A DFK just outside the boundary lines is the ONLY correct restart!

In point of fact It is an IMPOSSIBILITY, NEVER, EVER, NO, NOT, NO WAY, NADA for a PENALTY KICK to be awarded inside a keeper's OWN penalty area for any keeper's handling the ball violation INSIDE the penalty area.

At best there are four INDFK offences listed in law 12
Indirect Free Kick
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.

At U-10 a keeper mistake such as carrying the ball over the boundary lines on a release a few warnings could serve better to educate as we often consider this a marginal gotcha DFK (direct free kick) handles the ball deliberately infraction. Only if blatant and repetitive is there a need to award a DFK for such an action. It creates a scoring opportunity out of a loss of possession which is why we tend to shy away from punishing the trivial or doubtful transgressions. Inexperience, poor visibility on the marking boundaries could play a part in catching out an over eager keeper.
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

I don't usually chime in when I think the match is being conducted using a two referee system, this is one of the reasons. They stop things for some reason. The committee can't come up with why they stopped play. They make something up. It's usually wrong.

So, she came out of the box, what box? The little one or the big one? By the way the goal area is the little box and the penalty area is the big box, at least in referee parlance. The first answer we need is which area? Then if the penalty area, where was the ball in relation to the penalty area, inside or outside? If outside, how far outside? If outside, was it the first time? Had the referees spoken to her before about this? Right, given outside the penalty area and having spoken to about this more than once before it may be surmised the goalkeeper needs to be sanctioned for deliberately handling the ball, a direct free kick offence. A free kick is taken from the point of the deliberate handling.

You state "They gave them a penalty kick." A penalty kick is taken from the penalty mark, twelve yards from and centered on the goal. If that is what you saw the referee committee screwed up big time. If what you saw was a direct free kick taken from outside the penalty area it was correct, harsh, but correct.

Regards,

Answer provided by Referee Steve Montanino

Ref Fleischer is right you know... we really need a little more detail to provide a proper answer.

It seems as though you're saying that the goalkeeper left the penalty area and the referee's who admitted at the field to not knowing the proper restart - decided that a penalty kick would be the appropriate one.

Well... all that is wrong and rather embaressing for the officials. If they are at the field and don't seem to know the answer, I would suggest they should look in their law book and find out before "inventing" a restart that is so detrimental to one team. The proper restart in that case would of course be a DFK from the point where the goalkeeper deliberately handled the ball outside of the penalty area.