Question Number: 16730

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 9/16/2007

RE: Rec Under 11

Ed Zorn of Corona, CA USA asks...

Is it a direct Kick when a Keeper leaves the Penalty Area with the ball in her hands? I had a ref award a my team an Indirect. I have asked numerous refs in the league with no consistent answer.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Ed,
a keeper will occasionally carry the ball while holding it in the hands completely outside the PA boundry lines before releasing it to kick or throw it away. As a release of a ball into play we often consider such a transgression as a minor indiscretion trivial in the need to stop play but if it not doubtful, blatant or done far too often it only is ever a DFK from just outside the boundary line, never an INDFK. A keeper could be guilty of certain illegal handling situations within her PA boundary where INDFK are the correct restart but all players including the keepers who deliberately handle the ball are guilty of that DFK penal offence!
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

The inconsistency in the referee's mind, he considers to be consistency. That's because all the infractions listed in Law 12 which can be committed only by the keeper are IFK fouls (taking more than 6 seconds, etc.) This referee forgot that the keeper wasn't committing one of these keeper-specific fouls; she was committing a foul just like any other player, deliberately handling the ball.

Hopefully your league has some kind of feedback mechanism so you can report this error. Otherwise the referee will never be apprised of his mistaken belief, and he will continue to make the same error time and time again.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Ed, this is one of those questions that EVERY referee should answer correctly and I am dismayed that you are getting conflicting responses from those that should know better. ANY player deliberately handling the ball outside the penalty area has committed a DIRECT free kick offence. NEVER, EVER is deliberately handling the ball an Indirect free kick offence. The keeper may make other handling violations inside his penalty area that result in indirect free kicks but the offence of Delberately handling the ball is always a DFK and any referee that does not know this is in need of an assessment asap.