Question Number: 16899

Law 11 - Offside 9/25/2007

RE: select Under 14

B. Hilliard of Brick, NJ US asks...

during a direct penalty kick, a player from the team taking the kick was way in back of the wall and as the ball was kicked stood directly in front of the goalie. As the ball was entering the goal both the center ref and the side line ref called offside and obstructing the goalie.
The goal was denied and the other team was given a goal kick.
The coach asked for clarification from the refs.
Was this the right call from the refs?

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

There are no walls on penalty kicks, as all the players must be outside the penalty area. I assume you are talking about a direct free kick taken from outside the penalty area.

If the player on the kicking team was in an offside position - you don't give enough detail for us to be sure - then the offside call was correct. Players in an offside position cannot interfere with an opponent. Being in the goalkeeper's line of sight to the ball is interference.

By the way, the restart only looked like a goal kick. I am sure it was actually an indirect free kick taken from the goal area. These refs seem to have gotten everything else right with this call, so I assume they would also give the correct restart.

Answer provided by Referee Steve Montanino

First, this was NOT a penalty kick. A penalty kick is awarded when a direct free kick offense by the defending team inside their own penalty area, while the ball is in play. Then play is resumed with all the players on the field outside the penalty area, penalty arc, and in between the ball and the farthest goal line from the ball. The goalkeeper of the defending team and the kicker are the only exceptions to this positioning. The Goalkeeper stands on his line inbetween the goal posts until the ball is kicked forward. The kicker, who must be identified before the kick is taken, may stand inside the penalty area and may move after the referee's signal.

So to you, that means a penalty kick is one where it is a kick taken from 12 yards out by one kicker and is only defended by the goalkeeper.

You are describing a direct free kick in the question above. In that case, the referee felt a player in an offside position was interfereing with the goalkeeper. If that is what happened, then the referee was correct to disallow the goal and then he must award and indirect free kick to the defenders. You said a goal kick was awarded, I think perhaps you did not realize it, but the kick was probably indirect.

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

The only reason a player is placed in this location is to interfere with the goalkeeper's vision. If he is in an offside position when the ball is played he should be pulled up for an offside offence. The restart is indirect free kick and if the location is within the goal area the kick may be taken any place within the goal area. Well done referees.

Regards,

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Thanks for the question. This was not a penalty kick as there can be no wall. Assuming this was a direct free kick as you state, what probably happened is one of the kicker's teammates set up behind the wall and in offside position at the time the kick was taken. SInce he was in offside position and interferred with the keeper's line of site, he was guilty of an offside infraction and the goal should have not counted. Restart would be an indirect free kick for the defending team at the spot the offside player was when the kick was taken unless he was inside the goal area in which case the kick would come out to the six yard line.

The following questions were asked as a follow up to the above question...

See Question: 17007