Goal kicks.

[Texas Gooner]

I have a question. I play adult soccer and on Sunday, one of my team mates ran in front of the opposition keeper while he was about to kick the ball out of his hands. The ref called a free kick, for the opposition, we helped us really. One of my players refs at 12 and under and went off on the rules, and subsequently got booked for back chatting the ref.

What I want to know is, can a player legally block the kick. I saw Henry do this the other week for Arsenal, and the ref was on the keepers side. The commentators said he did nothing wrong.

Thanks

[Jeff from Michigan]

Under Law 12, the referee is supposed to award an indirect kick if an opposing player "prevents the goalkeeper from releasing the ball from his hands." It's also a potential caution...especially if a player repeats the offense.

You might suggest to your friend that he re-read Law 12. (And he might do well to remember that a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing...and that since he also appears to have forgotten that "dissent" was a cautionable offense, humility might suit him better on the soccer field than trying to recite the rulebook to the referee. While most good officials have a healthy ego...a sense of modest humility is what tends to separate the good officials from the outstanding ones).

[Crowdie]

Jeff is completely right in that a player cannot delay a goalkeeper from releasing the ball from his/her hands. This is to stop a player slowing the game down and/or then trying to get a free kick for the goalkeeper handling the ball for six seconds or more. I have had players do this and a quick word with them tends to stop the problem.

As an aside to this FIFA has just slightly changed the law and it is now legal for a player to attempt to play the ball when a goalkeeper is bouncing it and it is near the ground. This is not implemented in England until 2005 but is being implemented here in New Zealand as the majority of our seasons started on the weekend. I doubt any player or coach nows about the law change so I am expecting to have to rule on it - I may be taking that back after the first round of the Chatham Cup (our version of the FA Cup) this weekend.

Crowdie

[Texas Gooner]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the feedback. That is what I thought, as I have always played that rule. But the rules seem to change so quickly these days, that i don't know if every ref can keep up.

The ref we had that Sunday was the worst I have ever seen. He even told one of our players that as he complained about an obvious wrong decision, that all call we go for the other team from now on. This guy had the biggest ego too. He even gave a penalty to our opposition for their striker tackling our defender from behind in our area.

[whistleblowerusa]

As an aside to this FIFA has just slightly changed the law and it is now legal for a player to attempt to play the ball when a goalkeeper is bouncing it and it is near the ground. This is not implemented in England until 2005 but is being implemented here in New Zealand as the majority of our seasons started on the weekend. I doubt any player or coach nows about the law change so I am expecting to have to rule on it - I may be taking that back after the first round of the Chatham Cup (our version of the FA Cup) this weekend.

Crowdie
FIFA made no as far as I know. This might be a local interpretation. I agree with the rest of the statement.

[Crowdie]

FIFA made no as far as I know. This might be a local interpretation. I agree with the rest of the statement.

We were advised this by Ken Wallace who is one of approximately twenty FIFA Referee Instructors worldwide, is the head FIFA Referee Inspecter for the OFC and is the Referee Development Officer for NZ Soccer. I have requested from Ken more information on this and I will post a link to it as soon as it arrives.

Crowdie

[whistleblowerusa]

We were advised this by Ken Wallace who is one of approximately twenty FIFA Referee Instructors worldwide, is the head FIFA Referee Inspecter for the OFC and is the Referee Development Officer for NZ Soccer. I have requested from Ken more information on this and I will post a link to it as soon as it arrives.

Crowdie
That would be good. As far as I know the Agenda for IFAB meting this year did not include any language to that affect. They are revising the Q&A and perhaps that is where it might be found when that new version is released. Bouncing the ball is still considered to be in possession until then. Let us know. Thanks.

[Crowdie]

The new FIFA booklet 2004 Questions and Answers p.26 Law 12 question 21:

21. If a goalkeeper is bouncing the ball, may an opponent play the ball as it touches the ground, provided he is not guilty of dangerous play?

Yes.

Crowdie

[whistleblowerusa]

The new FIFA booklet 2004 Questions and Answers p.26 Law 12 question 21:

21. If a goalkeeper is bouncing the ball, may an opponent play the ball as it touches the ground, provided he is not guilty of dangerous play?

Yes.

Crowdie
This hasn't been released yet and is not in affect. Did your source say when FIFA will be releasing the new Q&A?
I'm also not sure how this will be taken by officials and players. I have a feeling that FIFA doesn't mean while releasing the ball.

[Crowdie]

This hasn't been released yet and is not in affect. Did your source say when FIFA will be releasing the new Q&A?

I am sure the the USSF sent a representative to the last FIFA meeting at Zurich and he/she would have been given the Q&A 2004 so it is up to the USSF as to when they start implementing the rules. Normally law changes are implemented at the start of the next season and advice to referees is normally implemented immediately.

I'm also not sure how this will be taken by officials and players. I have a feeling that FIFA doesn't mean while releasing the ball.

This advice applies to when a goalkeeper has control of the ball and bounces it.

Crowdie

[chrisrun]

The new FIFA booklet 2004 Questions and Answers p.26 Law 12 question 21:

21. If a goalkeeper is bouncing the ball, may an opponent play the ball as it touches the ground, provided he is not guilty of dangerous play?

Yes.

Crowdie

If this is true, it seems like it will only cause problems. You can't attempt to kick the ball if the keeper has possession. If you allow people to kick the ball while he's bouncing it, you're basically saying he is putting the ball in play and then regaining possession with him hands. Isn't that an indirect kick then?

Also, it seems to me you are treading a fine line with dangerous play that is hard to judge. I see a lot of goalie hands getting kicked by mistimed attempts at the ball. Maybe they should just disallow bouncing the ball, and this wouldn't be an issue. A few keepers would be upset for a bit, but they'd quickly catch on, just like with the passback rule.

[whistleblowerusa]

If this is true, it seems like it will only cause problems. You can't attempt to kick the ball if the keeper has possession. If you allow people to kick the ball while he's bouncing it, you're basically saying he is putting the ball in play and then regaining possession with him hands. Isn't that an indirect kick then?

Also, it seems to me you are treading a fine line with dangerous play that is hard to judge. I see a lot of goalie hands getting kicked by mistimed attempts at the ball. Maybe they should just disallow bouncing the ball, and this wouldn't be an issue. A few keepers would be upset for a bit, but they'd quickly catch on, just like with the passback rule.
You got it! That's exactly what i was saying. Doesn't sound too clear. I will look it up.

[whistleblowerusa]

I have just checked with the FIFA website and did not find a new Q&A listed there. I also checked the USSF Referee page and did not see any new Q&A there. I am waited to here from some FIFA instructors as to whether there is a new version released yet. My guess is that it hasn't been released and that it is not completed. I will find out and post. this can be a bad situation if Referees now fllow this instruction with officially released in any nation.

[Texas Gooner]

I would just like to add to the confusion. You see a lot of keepers running to the edge of the area, releasing the ball from their hands, the ball is now outside the area and then kicking it. If an attcking player trys to play the ball between the keepr releasing the ball and kicking it if the ball is actually outside the box, is that still obstruction?

[whistleblowerusa]

I would just like to add to the confusion. You see a lot of keepers running to the edge of the area, releasing the ball from their hands, the ball is now outside the area and then kicking it. If an attcking player trys to play the ball between the keepr releasing the ball and kicking it if the ball is actually outside the box, is that still obstruction?
The keeper is still in the process of releasing the ball back into play and no one may interfere with that. Doesn't matter if the ball is just outside the penalty area. It would not be "obstruction", the infringement would be preventing the keeper from releasing the ball back into play an unsporting behavior.

[Texas Gooner]

Thanks Whistle, but does that mean it is upto the Referee whether to call the foul for unsporting behaviour. This seems to be a contencious point, I remeber when the back pass rue first came into play. I saw a pro player flick the ball up and head it back to the keeper. The ref blew for a free kick stating unsporting behaviour. It just seems a grey area with the refs.

[stillgreyhound]

Thanks Whistle, but does that mean it is upto the Referee whether to call the foul for unsporting behaviour. This seems to be a contencious point, I remeber when the back pass rue first came into play. I saw a pro player flick the ball up and head it back to the keeper. The ref blew for a free kick stating unsporting behaviour. It just seems a grey area with the refs.
Hey Tex.......You can't interfer with the keeper releasing the ball and you cant use a deliberate trick like the one you discribe to circumvent the restrictions against a keeper picking up a ball played to him by his teammates. BOTH of these situations are not up to interpretation because they are clearly covered in the ATR....You should listen to Whistle....He is a reletively high level reff.........he is also one of the oldest people who contribute to this board. :)

[Texas Gooner]

I do listen to him, and he has answered my questions. What I am getting at, is that unsporting behaviour is a very grey area.

[NHRef]

any keeper who bounces the ball with an attacker close enough to take the ball is nuts! If the player is that close and the keeper moves off, the attacker cannot track him, that is obstruction. Once the keeper puts the ball onto the ground it is now back in play and open to being attacked.

[whistleblowerusa]

Thanks Whistle, but does that mean it is upto the Referee whether to call the foul for unsporting behaviour. This seems to be a contencious point, I remeber when the back pass rue first came into play. I saw a pro player flick the ball up and head it back to the keeper. The ref blew for a free kick stating unsporting behaviour. It just seems a grey area with the refs.
TG- You have two different situations occurring here. Not allowing the keeper to release the ball back into play by interfering with him is not allowed and written into Law 12. It is also a misconduct but not a mandatory caution. depending on the age, level of play, skill level and tolerance of the Referee, the caution will be given. In my book it is a clear caution for unsporting behavior.
In your second situation you have a player circumventing the intentional kick to his keeper using the foot. This is decision 3 of the IFAB in Law 12. Very clear and cautionable.
When you see the inconsistencies of officials applying the Laws it is usually because of level experience, time experience, poor instruction by instructors or peers, pressure not to act by coaches and players, or just poor recognition of what has happened. A simple read of the Laws would clear up the questions to your two situations. Not interpretation needed.
Thanks for the support greyhound. The MLS board tried to beat me up on some comments I made. Nice to be back in friendly territory.