Question Number: 35964

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 7/15/2025

RE: competitve Other

thomas horincewich of Chester, NJ United States asks...

Since May 21, 2008 Memo from US soccer regarding the "Pass Back" violation, I have used the iron triangle to call illegal keeper handling. I have kept this paper in my kit with me at all times. I do not recall seeing a change in interpretation in regards to this call. However I was showed on IFAB site, a list of indirect free kicks and it did mention a deliberate pass back to the keeper. Did this change and I missed it? Because, IFAB now says "it has been deliberately kicked to the goalkeeper by a team-mate." This contradicts Alfred Kleinaitis's memo that says it is not necessary for the ball to be passed, or back, or to the keeper. What is the correct/current advice to referees on this?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Thomas
I believe that the last US ATR was back in 2014 and since then US Referees must rely on the Laws of The Game solely from the IFAB site.

The ATR while useful along with memos from US Soccer those did not sit well with IFAB as the sole law making and interpretation body in world soccer.

Referees should depend solely on the FIFA publication Interpretations of the Laws of the Game and Guidelines for Referees at the end of the law book

So any previous memos, interpretations must now be found in the current wording in the Laws of the Game which is updated each year in July
The current law book wording states and I quote ** touches the ball with the hand/arm, unless the goalkeeper has clearly kicked or attempted to kick the ball to release it into play, after: # it has been deliberately kicked TO the goalkeeper by a team-mate # receiving it directly from a throw-in taken by a team-mate ** capitals by me.

In the old ATR there were three conditions described as three sides of a triangle

These were
# The ball is kicked (played with the foot) by a teammate of the goalkeeper,
# This action is deemed to be deliberate rather than a deflection, and
# The goalkeeper handles the ball directly (no intervening touch of play of the ball by anyone else)

What many failed to grasp in the ATR wording which stated that it did not include situations where the ball was misdirected.
Have a look at this video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7esEwniKXqQ
The referee awards two IDFks for deliberate kicks to the goalkeeper violations.
On the first one while the kick was deliberate it was misdirected and not an offence.
On the second one it was a challenge for the ball and most in the game do not interpret these as a deliberate kick to the goalkeeper.

So you can discard that 2008 memo and indeed any other interpretations and rely solely on the current Law book.