Question Number: 17322

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 10/15/2007

RE: REC Under 12

Victoria of Ringwood, NJ US asks...

If a goalie steps outside the box with the ball in their hands what is the pentaly?

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

Victoria, as a referee, you should know the answer to this question. I'll help you come up with the answer in a logical way. The goalkeeper has special privileges inside her penalty area, correct? And those privileges include being able to hold the ball in their hands with no penalty. What happens when the goalkeeper is outside of her penalty area? She is just another player and may not use her hands to pick up or hold or touch the ball, just like any other player. The key question you need to answer, though, is not where is the goalkeeper, but where is the ball? If the ball is outside of the penalty area and the goalkeeper picks it up, that is one of the 10 direct free kick offenses. If the ball is inside the penalty area, and all of the goalkeeper is outside the penalty area except her hands holding the ball in the penalty area, no problem, play continues.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

If the keeper is handling the ball outside her penalty area she is guilty of deliberately handling the ball. If she is just barely over the penalty area line while punting the ball, most of us would view this to be a trifling event and not blow the whistle but may have a quick word with her to be careful. If the referee decides it IS an offense then the restart is a direct free kick. Keep in mind that a keeper handling offense can NEVER result in a penalty kick

Answer provided by Referee Ben Mueller

It matters only where the ball is. If the feet are outside the penalty area and ball is in the penalty area, then it is "ok".