Question Number: 17523

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 10/26/2007

RE: competitive rec Adult

bob of toronto, ontario canada asks...

while standing in the goal area can a keeper reach outside of the box and grab a kicked ball in the air. basically reach out past the line but in the air

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

Sure, no sweat. But an alert assistant referee will flag for deliberately handling the ball and the referee will whistle to stop play and award the keeper's opponents a direct free kick from a point on the floor immediately below where the handling happened. Dan he, sure! His team mates will be unhappy. The opponents will try to take the free kick quickly as they are entitled to and the keeper's team mates will crowd around the ball and delay things until everyone gets back to defend. Many will be cautioned and shown the yellow card. Tempers will flare. Yeah, go ahead and handle the ball outside your own penalty area, no biggie.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Bob,
Let us say a ball is at least 12 inches in width and the penalty area boundary line is 5 inches in width.
Lets also understand that Law 1 states the lines are part of the area they surround so if the outer edge of the ball was to brush the outside edge of the penalty area boundary line on the ground or in the air that ball is considered to be inside the penalty area and thus handled by the keeper.

The location of the keeper plays NO part in deciding if a ball is inside or outside his penalty area.

ONLY the overall location of the BALL, determines if a ball is inside or outside the penalty area.

If the bal is 100% COMPLETELY outside that 5 inch wide white boundary strip, no overhang of the curve of the ball is visible then the ball is outside the penalty area and if a keeper was to extend his body to lean out and use his arms /hands on that ball it is a DFK from that point where the hands contact the ball at that exact moment.

It was pointed out earlier a questioner was unclear if only a portion of the ball is outside the boundary line and it is this portion of the ball that is touched is it allowed by the keeper?

That is a resounding YES HE CAN!!!!

The keeper can use his hands on the portion of the ball that is outside AS LONG as part of the rest of the ball is in someway into or overhanging the 5 inch wide boundary line. That 5 inch strip is like an invisible wall extending straight up into the sky. To make a judgment as to where the ball was WHEN the hands were in contact the AR or referee must be diligent in position and angles to effectively gauge this.

It will be an opinion and camera angles themselves might still be indeterminate but a referee with integrity sees what he sees and makes the call on that belief.

The keeper could be a 6 ft body with a 3 foot reach and be lying 100% outside his penalty area with his feet pointing back towards the midline a full 9 feet 11 and 3/4 and full out stretched, the ball marginally in contact by over hanging the outside part of the 5 inch boundary line of the penalty area on the goal side and the keeper has a single finger resting against the ball on the portion of the ball resting outside. It is within the laws to see it as a save the keeper has a reasonable time to arise, at all times keeping his hand on the ball and the ball in contact with or inside the lines while regaining his feet. He will have 6 seconds upon which to release that ball back into play and cannot be challenged by an opponent during this time.
Cheers