Question Number: 14218

Law 10 - Method of Scoring 10/22/2006

RE: Select Under 17

WD of Austin, US asks...

Goalkeeper makes a save right in front of the goal line. Players from opposing team claim it should be a goal. Center referee shakes his head and signals the goalkeeper to put the ball into play. Goalkeeper punts the ball, play resumes. Ball is all the way down to the other goalkeeper who then tells the center referee to look at his assistant referee. Assistant Referee says the ball was across the line when the goalkeeper made the save. Question: can this happen? Center referee had looked at his assistant at the time and he wasn't signalling a goal. Can a referee go back and award a goal after he restarted play?

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

The referee did NOT restart play. That's the key thing here. Play never stopped. Play simply continued. A keeper save and a subsequent punt is not a stoppage with a restart. Since play had not stopped and restarted, the referee may award the goal. I find this somewhat strange in that you say the referee had eye contact with his AR when the save was made and the AR did not signal for a goal. I assume the AR thought better of his initial reaction. I know as the referee in this case, I'd have a pretty detailed discussion with the AR before I'd award the goal.

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

Happens all the time. Referees sometimes are slow to signal. This is a goal because the ball crossed a field boundary and is no longer in play. The requirements of Law 10 have been met, restart with a kick-off.

Regards,

Answer provided by Referee Ben Mueller

As long as the referee did not restart play, the goal can be awarded. These referees did not do a good job with communication here, but the referee can now go back and award the goal.