Question Number: 16539

Law 13 - Free Kicks 9/4/2007

RE: Competive Adult

Jose Sandoval of New Britain, CT USA asks...

The referee has awarded Team B a free kick just outside its own penalty area. B3 takes the free kick and passes the ball back to the goalkeeper B1, who misplays the pass. The ball hits B's foot and continues into the B goal. Shall referee award a corner kick?.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

Nope. Unfortunately (for them) they've just managed to score an own goal.

If B3 had kicked the ball directly into the net, it would be a corner kick. But because it touched another player - the keeper - it is no longer went directly into the net, so the goal counts.

Answer provided by Referee Ben Mueller

No because the ball went into the goal and it was touched by the keeper (that did not take the kick). We now have a goal.

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

As a goalkeeper you're going to be of two minds here. If I misplay it and it goes in after I touch it its a goal OR if I let it go in is the referee going to be ignorant of the fact no goal can be scored directly against my side from my free kick? This one haunts all keepers.

I have given up a goal from my opponent's untouched indirect free kick because the referee didn't know any better. I have also given up a goal when I allowed a free kick my side had taken towards me after I let it go by into my goal untouched, for a corner. On both these goals I determined the ball crossing the goal line into the net would be humiliating to the other side when no goal was awarded. Little did I know the referee was less versed in Law that I was.

Don't be that referee Jose! Touched and in is a goal, untouched and is a corner. Here there is a goal. Unlucky for the keeper, his skills left him. The goal counts just as much as the ones I let in based on my knowledge and skill, I was beaten just as surely as he was only I was beaten by the referee.

Regards,

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

Goooooaaaaaalllllllll!