Question Number: 17595

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 10/30/2007

RE: COMPETIVE High School

DENNIS MILTON of DA BRONX, N Y USA asks...

ON A THROW IN TEAM PLAYER [A] THROWS IN
TO A TEAM MATE, WHO HEADS BALL TO
GOAL KEEPER WHO PICKS IT UP WITH HIS HANDS

IS IT LEGAL

REF CALLED IT A FOUL AND A INDIRECT KICK
ALL HAPPEN IN PENALTY BOX

OR IT A PENALTY KICK

PLEASE REPLY THANK U

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

NEVER,EVER,NO WAY, ZILCH, CAN'T HAPPEN that a penalty kick be awarded for ANY keeper handling violation. Besides, that isn't what happened here. The ball was passed to the keeper by a teammate with his HEAD. Perfectly legal and the keeper may handle the ball. The referee apparantly believed the teammate heading the ball to the keeper and the teammate throwing the ball in were trying to deliberately circumvent the Laws Of The Game. If so, then an indirect free kick should have been awarded BEFORE the keeper even touched the ball because it's misconduct on the part of the teammate heading the ball. That's where the indirect free kick should take place. Me, I let play continue but the referee in this case did not.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Dennis,
in my opinion a ball that is thrown into a player who heads that ball to his keeper is usually fine by me! Generally such a ball has opposition opportunity to challange.

The keeper is permitted to use his hands on the ball inside his area as long as it was not deliberately kicked or thrown to him by a teammate once the ball was off the head of his team mate the keeper's handling restriction was lifted

While it is a huge stretch to see this as a deception to get around the keeper 's illegal use of hands restriction in law12 . This is more likely at the grassroots level and If it WAS seen as such in the opinion of the referee the infringment (MISCONDUCT ) occured long BEFORE the keeper used his hands.

It was the action of the teammates and NOT the keeper's use of hands in this case. If there is misconduct, it occurs the moment the deception is launched and as an opinion of the referee if it was the header player, that is where the indfk would occur, from his action say the ball went to his feet and he dropped to his knees to head it to his keeper.

If the referee was of the marginal opinon it was the thrower then the misconduct was prior to the restart and if the throw in was correctly perfomed it is a retake after the thrower is cautioned but this in my opinion is logically a nightmare to try and solve under the laws as an explanation of reason. Whether you could consider the throw in as incorrectly thrown given this misconduct and change the throw is so convoluted I see it as absurd as seeing the retake

The deal is, IF there truly was misconduct then a caution is in the cards so to speak likely one or possibly two or all three players could see the colour yellow for the USB caution of circumvention of the laws.

No INDFK offence can EVER be upgraded to a DFK or PK event to do so is a misapplication of law guaranteed protest to follow. Indfks occur from the point of the infraction subject to law 8 special circumstances within the goal area.

Cheers

.

Answer provided by Referee Ben Mueller

This is "ok" because the ball was headed and not kicked to the keeper. Also, the ball was not thrown into the keeper directly because it was touched by another player.