Hi guys and gals, This is my first venture into the referee forum and I have a question regarding when the keeper is allowed to handle the ball. If the keeper receives the ball, last touched by the opposing team, outside of the penalty box, is he allowed to control the ball with his feet, dribble back into the box, and pick it up with his hands? Thanks, this issue came up in a game this weekend and I want to share the rule with my team. It's a hard rule to remember. Thanks.
Yes, it is legal. I was a goal keeper in high school (15 years ago) and we had a play for goal kicks: * I would retrieve the ball and throw it to the defender taking the goal kick. * I would run to the side of the Penalty area and the same time the defender was passing the ball. * I would play the ball with my feet into the area, then pick it up with my hand. I know, nowadays that would be "Keeper playing the ball with hands after played with by a teammate" (IDFK). Please note this is not Handball (and thus not a PK). I have reffed indoor leagues that do not allow this (for what reason I have no idea).
Re: Re: Rules on Keeper handling ball No I don't think it would be. How is this different from a teammate playing the ball back to the GK, but the pass being high, the GK trapping it with his chest, then picking it up? It isn't different, and both plays are legal. Just make sure you touch it with your feet/chest/head/butt before picking it up.
If a defender passes it back to the GK with his feet on purpose, whether it's high or not, it's a backpass and can't be handled by the GK.
Re: Re: Re: Rules on Keeper handling ball If I understand what you are saying, irrespective of whether the keeper first played the ball with his chest or head, etc. if the keeper touches the ball with his hands, after it has been deliberately kicked to him by a teammate, it is an infringment of Law 12. Play stops and and is restarted with an IFK for the opponent. The key for foul recognition here are the criteria: deliberately and kicked by a temmate. IITOTR a shot by an opponent defelects off a teammates foot to the keeper, no infringement. If chested, headed but not by the foot, even if deliberately (unless an obvious attempt to circumvent the Laws) no offense. An obvious attmept to circumvent the Laws would be if the teamate juggled the ball with his foot to his knee and then to the keeper. The reason this Law was changed a few years ago was to prevent timewasting and eat time off the clock for tactical purposes. Sherman
Re: Re: Re: Re: Rules on Keeper handling ball No...I'm saying if the GK touches the ball with his chest, then he can grab it. If that's NOT the rule, then I see referees miss this call every weekend. Literally every weekend. This play he ran in high school is legal, so far as I know. I'm not a ref, but I watch alot of games, and like I said, it happens all of the time that a ball is kicked back to the keeper, he touches it with something other than his hands, then picks it up, and merrily boots it up the field.
If a teammate KICKS it back to the keeper regardless of how the keeper initially touches it if the keeper eventually picks it up or plays it with his hands, it's going to be an indirect free kick. That applies to FIFA, USSF (club & travel soccer in the US), NFHS (high school) and NISOA (college) -- they're all the same in this area. Dave, What I'd GUESS you are seeing a lot of is when an opponent plays the ball in and you'll frequently see the keeper chest the ball rather than play it with his hands. In this manner, the keeper can then dribble the ball to whereever he wants to in the penalty area or just kill time and then pick it up with his hands and punt it. If he catches it initially, then the 6 second clock is going to start, so he wouldn't be able to just hold the ball as long. Also, if he played the ball to the ground with his hands, then dribbled around with his feet and picked it up, this would constitute a second touch on his part. Finally, you may from time to time see a teammate of the keeper HEAD the ball back to him and he'll perform this same routine -- but that's legal, unlike KICKING it back. Regarding the play the guy is talking about in high school, that would NOT be legal any longer like it was back then. Hope this clears some things up.