Question Number: 16037

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 7/15/2007

RE: Competitive Adult

Wayne Friedman of ST IVES, NSW Australia asks...

I am a goalkeeper. Today, during a scuffle, one of my players tried to get rid of the ball inside the penalty box. The ball was kicked nowhere near me and was going for an obvious corner. We had been suffering under a deluge of corners all day, so I decided to try and stop the ball from going for a corner. I had to to run about 5 metres and perform quite a dive to get the ball. An indirect kick was awarded, which eventuated in a goal. I felt that the referee awarded this IFK unfairly because according to rule 12 the ball needs to be kicked deliberately to me in order for an infringement to occur. It is obviuously academic now, but for the future, who was right?

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

It has to be kicked deliberately, by a teammate, with the foot either to you,left for you, or to an area where you may collect it. We in the US are given further instruction to be sure that the ball is not simply played in such a manner as to be viewed as misdirected or deflected. Also, we are cautioned to remember that the rule was instituted to cut down on time wasting and not to punish players that are playing within the Spirit of the Law. To me, this was a bad call but there's lots of disagreement among referees. Who was right? Your referee, of course!

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

Right Wayne, as goaltenders we tend to go after every ball we can get to, that's a given. When we get pulled up for doing our job we tend to come all unpuckered. The goalkeeper offences were instituted into Law because professional sides, and others, involved the keeper in time wasting tactics. They have worked in most cases. In your case I think they didn't do as intended.

You didn't seem, at first read anyway, to be involved in time wasting; all you wanted to do is stop another corner. So that's you and me, our opinion. There is one more person to consider and that one has an opinion that, as far as football is concerned, is the ultimate opinion. Crap, us goaltenders are out voted.

Whether or not this referee, a match condition, made the correct decision is not ours to fret about. That's his job, he gets those decisions -- we don't. As a referee I would hope to think you were trying to prevent a corner and not just playing a ball kicked by a colleague to a place where you could play it.

This is one of those Spirit of the Game vs. the rule of Law things. The rule of Law says you can't use your hands when the ball is kicked to you by a team mate and the Spirit of the Game demands you save the corner. You and I know what we will do. I might suggest to you that in future when the referee pulls you up for a pissy violation you don't loose concentration and a goal, hard to do, I know, but it's sometimes a necessity. Grit your teeth, mutter [under your breath] the correct calming words and get on with the plan of the day, stop goals against your side...

Unlucky Mate, Regards,

Answer provided by Referee Ben Mueller

Does not sound like the correct call to me. Your teammate tried to clear ball and you just dug it up. The thing to remember about this is that it has to be kicked (from foot) and the ball has to have been kicked to you deliberately.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Some times, as an opinion, a techy call is sellable in law but rarely within the spirit of the game does it truly match up with our understanding of FAIR PLAY! The key to remember a referee does not READ intent as in knowing what you are thinking only trying to understand in what you are doing. Sometimes he gets it wrong which is human and sometimes he will apply the same wrong standard at each endof the field which is fair if not completely right! As we often point out, a referee is a match condition, just like the weather or pitch surface or part of the field!
We can be as inflexible as the goal posts and as stubborn as the crossbar, as warm as the sun or as miserable as a wind swept cold rainy day, a grass field of perfect length or a hard all weather unforgiving surface. What we hope the one constant is in the character of integrity if not competence. The continued non application of errors learned over time is the wisdom of experience!
Cheers