Question Number: 22210

Law 13 - Free Kicks 10/11/2009

RE: Professional Professional

jason brookes of southampton, hampshire england asks...

Hi, one of my team mates started a debate about if a corner is taken and no one touches it appart from a defender and goes straight in like a normal own goal, my team mate suggested that it would then be a retake of the corner. what would happen?

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

Can't imagine why your teammate would think it would be a retake of the corner?

The Laws provide that teams cannot score against themselves on restarts such as free kicks (including PKs), goal kicks, or corner kicks. Like Ref McHugh, it is hard to imagine putting the ball into your own goal from a corner kick - heck, it's the whole football field away! That's one heckuva squib kick.

A properly taken corner doesn't have to touch anyone on the way in to score (assuming it doesn't go into your own goal). The ball can touch a teammate or an opponent or even the referee on its way into the goal and still be a goal. The only exception to this would be if a teammate is in an offside position, and plays the ball after it is first played after the kick by another teammate. He would then be offside, and no goal.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Jason
An own goal cannot be scored directly from a corner kick. I have never witnessed it as it would require a player kicking the ball the full length of the pitch into the taker's goal without it touching anyone, which would be quite a feat. The restart would be a corner kick to the opponents and not a retake.
If the ball touches any player on the way into the goal such as the goalkeeper or a defender then the goal would stand.