Question Number: 16810

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 9/20/2007

RE: COMPETIVE Adult

WALTER DI CARLO of STONEHAM, MA USA asks...

a goalkeeper inside his own penalty area, touches the ball with his hands after he has received it directly from a throw-in taken by a team-mate. Do you call for indirect free kick from where the offense occurred or do you call for a penalty kick. please let me know thanks. regards Walter Di Carlo

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

It could NEVER be a penalty kick - NEVER. A goalkeeper is always allowed to use his hands inside the penalty area. In a few instances he is restricted in when he can handle it, and if he does, then the punishment is ALWAYS an indirect free kick from where the GK was when he handled the ball, unless it was in the goal area, in which case the kick is from the top of the goal area line. You can NEVER punish a goalkeeper with a penalty kick for handling the ball inside his own penalty area. NEVER.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Walter,
this is one of the four INDFK offences that a keeper could be guilty of for illegal handling of the ball inside his own penalty area.
These offences can NEVER EVER be a PK.
They are an indfk from where the keeper improperly uses his hands subject to law 8 special circumstances where an indirect free kick against the defenders within the goal area is always pulled straight back and taken 6 yards away from the goal line.

If a keeper uses his hands on the ball outside his own penalty area then it it is a DFK offence from that exact spot but it is NOT possible for that to be pulled inside his area on a pretext that because it could fit DOGSO criteria it must be a PK. That is a myth as well!
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Walter. Burn this into your mind. NEVER EVER NO WAY NO HOW can a handling offense by the keeper result in a penalty kick. All keeper handling offenses inside his/her own penalty area result in IFKs and outside the penalty area it is, of course, a DFK same for any other player.