Question Number: 16373

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 8/20/2007

RE: Rec Under 15

Alexander of Kursk, Russia asks...

If a player deliberately shoots on his own goal, may the keeper handle the ball to save his goal, or it would be interpreted as a backpass?

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

Was the ball deliberately kicked by a teammate? Did it go to the goalkeeper or to a place the keeper could get it? That's all that is required.

The wise goalkeeper might very well make the save, despite it being a foul. Far better to have an IFK against you than a goal against you.

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

An interesting question Sascha. Very interesting!! I, for one, wonder if this is something I would intervene against! Reason?

Deliberately kicking the ball to one's goalkeeper was instituted to prevent time wasting, imagine the Italian National team playing the ball back and fourth between their keeper and a defender for 15-20 minutes in the second period of play to kill off a match... That sells thousands of tickets and huge numbers of television viewers will sit on the edge of their chairs to watch the skill with which they beat their opponents. Makes a pretty picture doesn't it?

The goalkeeper's whole place in the universe is to prevent goals from being scored against his side. When he prevents this one he is just doing his job so, unless the referee has the opinion the kick was intended to go TO the goalkeeper in that specific manner, we must think only of the job at hand. If, in retrospect, all the other members of the defender's side berate him for trying to score an own goal I would tend to think I got the decision correct.

Regards,

Answer provided by Referee Ben Mueller

We must consider the intent of the defender here. If the pass was intended to go to the keeper, then it would be a foul for the keeper to handle the ball. Note that the pass may not be kicked directly in the keepers direction, but somewhere the keeper could move to to play the ball with his hands.

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

See Question: 16479

See Question: 16522