Question Number: 16723

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 9/16/2007

RE: Select Under 13

Sean Creighton of Baltimore, MD USA asks...

Goalie accidently steps out of box before kicking the ball out of his hands. Is this a direct or indirect free kick?

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

When the keeper is outside his penalty area he is treated like any other player. Deliberately handling the ball NEVER results in an indirect free kick as it's one of the 10 direct free kick fouls. that said, you should remember that all handling violations by a keeper inside his penalty area always result in indirect free kicks but these violations are not Deliberately Handling The Ball as described in Law 12. ALso, depending on how far outside the penalty area the keeper goes, the referee is free to view the violation as trifling and not penalize it

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

Remember too, the goalkeeper releases the ball before he kicks it, and it is often difficult to pinpoint the exact moment he lets go of the ball - is it before or after he lands outside of the penalty area? And, if the referee can't tell for sure, we're not going to call that one, especially if the keeper is making a bonafide effort to get it into play. We are not discussing the guys who come 3 to 5 yards out of the penalty area, we are discussing a matter of inches where some doubt exists. Should the keeper be so foolish as to ignore a warning about watching his line and come out again too far for it to be trifling, it will be a direct free kick against his team - and, no, we don't have to wait for a wall to restart play.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

The keeper stepping out is nothing! If the ball is ACTUALLY carried and HELD with the hands completely outside the 5 inch invisable wall eminating from that 5 inch white strip of the PA boundryline in the process of a punt out it is technically a DFK offence from just outside the boundryline (handles the ball deliberately). .

Faded lines, momentume, slippery surfaces age, skill level and the distance the ball is actually carried outside at times play a role in the determination of making this a definate must stop play to deal with or as a trivial or doubtful offence!

As it is a release of a ball into play such an infringment is often requarded as trifling and ignored. Doubtful in that a release or toss of the ball just as the keeper leaves the PA area can find the actual location of the kick to take well outside yet the ball was being released as it passed over the boundryline.

A keeper can NEVER be quilty of a DFK or PK for a deliberate handling violation INSIDE his PA only INDFK offences can possibly occurf or illegal use of hands on the ball inside the PA! Note the location of the DFK if called for the carry out ALWAYS occurs just a millimeter away from the boundryline where the ball was first completely carried outside NOT from where the kick took place
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Ben Mueller

If the whole ball is over the penalty area line, then the correct restart is a dfk for the opponents.