Question Number: 15664

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 5/31/2007

RE: travel Under 11

bill todd of Buffalo, ny usa asks...

This question is a follow up to question 15626

Does the ref have to whistle or in some way indicate that the goalie has the ball in his possession?

Just to further clarify... [15626]

The goalie was sprawled on the ground and just managed to get his fingertips on the ball as the striker was in mid-swing with his leg. The striker kicked the ball in --and the ref, only after the ball was in the net, called no goal.

Thanks for your attention to this detail.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

The referee must NOT whistle to indicate that the ball is in the goalkeeper's possession. The whistle stops play, and then the referee has to restart the play - it would be a dropped ball since the stoppage was not defined in the Laws of the Game.

At the youngest levels of play, I will sometimes call out "Keeper's" when I determine the goalkeeper has possession and there are opponents nearby. Maybe at U11 rec, but probably not in the U11 select/travel leagues. This reminds the opponents that they must back off and give the keeper room to distribute the ball. One downside is that the keeper may end up bobbling the ball and losing possession, in which case my shout would be incorrect and could cause unnecessary confusion.

Answer provided by Referee Steve Montanino

No the ref does not have to whistle or otherwise indicate that the keeper has possession of the ball. Besides, what if after the ref yelled out "keeper's ball!" and the attacker stopped his run only to see the goalkeeper fumble it freely? The referee may have then intervened in an unfair way against the attackers.