Question Number: 17410

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 10/20/2007

RE: Rec Plus Under 15

Lisa of Broken Arrow, OK USA asks...

If a player from team A kicks the ball to his goal keeper and no other players are around. Can the goal keeper pick the ball up? Our ref said she was kicking it backward, not passing it to the goal keeper. Is there a difference?

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

If a player kicks (uses the foot) the ball deliberately to a place where his goalkeeper can pick it up, this can be considered an offense punishable by an indirect free kick under Law 12, Fouls and Misconduct. The direction the ball is kicked makes no difference whatsoever.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

The direction of the kick is not a factor if it was DELIBERATELY kicked by a team mate to the keeper. The misnomer BACK PASS is attributed to the law 12 violation as bastardization and you can see it mythesizes the law to a large extent.
QUOTE FIFA
LAW 12 FOULS & MISCONDUCT
"Indirect Free Kick
An indirect free kick is awarded to the opposing team if a goalkeeper,
inside his own penalty area,
? touches the ball with his hands after it has been deliberately kicked
to him by a team-mate
? touches the ball with his hands after he has received it directly from a throw-in taken by a team-mate"
END QUOTE
If the ball hits or deflects off the foot and or is considered not a deliberate kick then, if the referee recognizes it as so, the keeper could use their hands as normal.

Answer provided by Referee Ben Mueller

If a teammate of keeper kicks it to the keeper deliberatly, then the keeper cannot touch ball with hands. If he does, IFK at the spot of the handling. If handling was in goal area, then the free kick is taken at the top of the goal area closest to where the infraction occurred.