Penalty Given When Foul Not in Goal Area

[CCSC_STRIKER20]

I have refereed for about 4 years now, and I recently ran into a question about a penalty kick decision. Situation: Player from Team A breaks into the open for a breakaway...Keeper from Team B comes off his line and out of the box to meet the Player from Team A...in the ensuing events the keeper gets the ball poked around him but then he football tackles the striker...the referee sends off the goalie (good call) and then awards a pk to the striker.

Question: Is the penalty kick the right call even though the foul was committed outside of the area? Is that call an official ruling?

[MassachusettsRef]

Assuming you mean "penalty area" rather than "goal area" (penalty area is the big box, goal area is the smaller one), then no, that is not the correct decision. You can't move the foul into the box. A red card and a direct kick is the appropriate call.

The only caveat is that, under some indoor rules, a breakaway foul can be turned into a PK, regardless of where the foul occurred. But in outdoor, this is NEVER an acceptable call.

[macheath]

I have refereed for about 4 years now, and I recently ran into a question about a penalty kick decision. Situation: Player from Team A breaks into the open for a breakaway...Keeper from Team B comes off his line and out of the box to meet the Player from Team A...in the ensuing events the keeper gets the ball poked around him but then he football tackles the striker...the referee sends off the goalie (good call) and then awards a pk to the striker.

Question: Is the penalty kick the right call even though the foul was committed outside of the area? Is that call an official ruling?

If we mean the 18-yard large penalty area, then there can never, ever be a penalty kick given for a foul outside of the area. There might be some issues if the foul takes place right on the edge of the area--ref has to determine where the foul actually occured.

[blind_clown]

Some unsanctioned outdoor leagues or small side tournaments give the ref the option to award a PK or a goal for denying a goal scoring opportunity since they don't want to give red cards.

[NDREF]

I have refereed for about 4 years now, and I recently ran into a question about a penalty kick decision. Situation: Player from Team A breaks into the open for a breakaway...Keeper from Team B comes off his line and out of the box to meet the Player from Team A...in the ensuing events the keeper gets the ball poked around him but then he football tackles the striker...the referee sends off the goalie (good call) and then awards a pk to the striker.

Question: Is the penalty kick the right call even though the foul was committed outside of the area? Is that call an official ruling?

If this was played under Futsal Rules, It could be an accumulated foul situation. With the sixth foul, shots are taken from the second penalty spot. http://futsal.com/publications/laws/law2Klaw14.htm

[BC_Ref]

If we mean the 18-yard large penalty area, then there can never, ever be a penalty kick given for a foul outside of the area. There might be some issues if the foul takes place right on the edge of the area--ref has to determine where the foul actually occured.

If the keeper is near the line, then the "location" of the foul can always be a hot topic. Was it the place of the foot or the place of the striker who got clocked? This is the reason we are paid the not great bucks for.

[blind_clown]

If the keeper is near the line, then the "location" of the foul can always be a hot topic. Was it the place of the foot or the place of the striker who got clocked? This is the reason we are paid the not great bucks for.

:confused: It's the place where the foul occured.

[CCSC_STRIKER20]

I meant the 18 yard box, and it was an outrageous call, because the foul occured about 10-15 yards away from the box. I know that's a rule in like Futsal, but this call was just outrageous.

[Sagy]

I meant the 18 yard box, and it was an outrageous call, because the foul occured about 10-15 yards away from the box. I know that's a rule in like Futsal, but this call was just outrageous.
In what type of a competition did this occur? Did it impact the final score?

If it is important enough and based on the Uzbekistan-Bahrain precedent, you might be able to get the game replayed.

Just make sure that you get the CR to say that the foul occurred outside the box, before you mention anything else.

I had a case (in a U-14 game) before the PK was taken, the CR after coaches from both teams and the AR told him that a hand ball occurred outside the box (by at least 5 yards), said "In my opinion it was inside the box" - that was the end of the conversation (the game ended 2:1 :().

[BC_Ref]

:confused: It's the place where the foul occured.

So how do you handle holding where the clutching started outside of the PA, and the attacker was able to get inside the area before being stopped cold by the shirt tug. So where is the place of the foul? Outside the area, or inside the area (we have holding fouls in both places)? Do you have two holding fouls - one outside with an advantage call, the second inside with a PK being awarded.

Quite a few fouls can happen over a very short span of time - enough to bring a player into or out of a penalty area. It isn't quite as cut and dried as you seem to portray.

[Wreave]

So how do you handle holding where the clutching started outside of the PA, and the attacker was able to get inside the area before being stopped cold by the shirt tug. So where is the place of the foul? Outside the area, or inside the area (we have holding fouls in both places)? Do you have two holding fouls - one outside with an advantage call, the second inside with a PK being awarded.

That's an easy one, straight out of the FIFA 2005 Q&A:

31. A defender starts holding an attacker outside the penalty area but finishes inside the penalty area. What action should the referee take?
He would award a penalty kick.

[blind_clown]

So how do you handle holding where the clutching started outside of the PA, and the attacker was able to get inside the area before being stopped cold by the shirt tug. So where is the place of the foul? Outside the area, or inside the area (we have holding fouls in both places)? Do you have two holding fouls - one outside with an advantage call, the second inside with a PK being awarded.

Quite a few fouls can happen over a very short span of time - enough to bring a player into or out of a penalty area. It isn't quite as cut and dried as you seem to portray.

Actually it is, there has to been an instant where the holding crosses the line and that's where the restart is from.

[macheath]

So how do you handle holding where the clutching started outside of the PA, and the attacker was able to get inside the area before being stopped cold by the shirt tug. So where is the place of the foul? Outside the area, or inside the area (we have holding fouls in both places)? Do you have two holding fouls - one outside with an advantage call, the second inside with a PK being awarded.

Quite a few fouls can happen over a very short span of time - enough to bring a player into or out of a penalty area. It isn't quite as cut and dried as you seem to portray.


The ref decides at what point the foul has become significant, or non-trivial, enough to blow the whistle. If that's outside or inside the area, then the proper decision on a restart should follow. Wreve correctly cites the FIFA Q and A on this, and that applies if you didn't call the foul before the offender entered the area.

[GKbenji]

An anecdote I remember reading somewhere: striker with the ball is approaching the goal, and a defender grabs him a few yards outside the penalty area. Striker fights through the hold, continues forward into the area, when finally he's dragged down. Referee awards a penalty kick.

The striker complains. "But I started holding him outside the area!"

The referee replies, "And I gave you five yards to let him go!" :)