Question Number: 16397

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 8/22/2007

RE: Don't know Under 16

Gunnar of Sandnes, Rogaland Norway asks...

I have seen this situation often but I am not sure if it's legal.

A player on team X passes to team X's goalkeeper. The goalkeeper is standing inside the 16m field. The goalkeeper stops the ball with his feet, but then a player from team Z runs towards him but the goalkeeper dribbles him. Player on team Z never toches the ball. Can the goalkeeper then legaly pick up the ball with his hands?

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

No. The goalkeeper could dribble the ball around for half an hour, but if he received it from a deliberate kick from his teammate, he can't pick it up. It must touch another player first. And if that touch is another deliberate kick by a teammate, the sequence starts again.

(Assuming "passes to team X's goalkeeper" in your question means it was a deliberate kick.)

Answer provided by Referee Jon Sommer

Gary answers sums it up for you, but I have a question; What is the 16m field??

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

If you have seen this situation often, please tell us what the result has been. It should have been an indirect free kick for the attacking team at the point where the goalkeeper picked up the ball, unless it was inside the goal area (the 5.5 m field inside the 16.5 m field), in which case the kick is taken from the point at the top of the goal area line closest to where the GK picked it up. Oh, and thank you for a wholly new way to describe what is known the world over as the penalty area in the Laws of the Game, incorrectly called a box by many (there are no three dimensional structures on the field of play, except the goal posts), and sometimes incorrectly referred to as the 18 yd box as well. I suspect it may simply be a translation issue, but you did communicate what you wanted to know quite well.

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

The goalkeeper is not permitted to handle a ball he gets directly from a team mates deliberate kick or directly from a team mates throw-in. It makes no difference what the goalkeeper does with the ball after he gets it, he may not handle it without penalty of an indirect free kick against.

Regards,