Question Number: 14522

Law 8 - Start and Restart of Play 11/29/2006

RE: Under 11

Avery of Pasadena, CA USA asks...

2 questions:

1). For AYSO BU10 kick off, should the captain from the home or away team calls the coin toss?
2). What'll be the re-start if the defender intentionally kicks the ball back to the goalie?

Thanks,
Avery

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

Two answers Avery.

It is a tradition in Association Football [Soccer] that the visiting captain is given the choice.

There is no restart necessary unless the keeper uses his hands to play the ball. Is so we stop play and restart indirect.

Regards,

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Avery,
The referee could decide by asking one or the other, however, it is a tradition of courtesy that allows the visiting team to call the coin toss!!

Your next question is a bit vague?
So assuming we are at a stoppage and not at the kick off or pk kick where the ball must go forward or or a goal kick or free kick inside owns own penalty area where the ball must clear the area to be in play in these cases if the kicker was to deliberately kick the ball to his keeper we restart with the same restart except on the PK it becomes an indfk out for the opponents. The only restart I know of if done incorrectly by being kicked backwards is not retaken!

On a restart or active play a deliberate kick by a teammate to ones own keeper is fine unless it occurs as I stated above . What I think you want to know is the RESTRICTION that a keeper is placed under when a teammate deliberately kicks a ball to him. The keeper is not permitted the use of his hands as he normally would inside hs own penalty area, this also applies to a direct throw in by a teammate to a keeper as well.

The keeper can use his hands within his area on a ball that deflected off a teammate , a teammate's pass other than by the deliberate kick or throw in that would include the head or chest etc.. or the ball was last touched by the opponents!

If a keeper does have illegal use of the hands note these four restrictions and the resulting INDFK restart
Indirect Free Kick
An indirect free kick is awarded to the opposing team if a goalkeeper, inside his own penalty area, commits any of the following four offences:

takes more than six seconds while controlling the ball with his hands before releasing it from his possession

touches the ball again with his hands after it has been released from his possession and has not touched any other player

touches the ball with his hands after it has been deliberately kicked to him by a team-mate

touches the ball with his hands after he has received it directly from a throw-in taken by a team-mate. Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Ben Mueller

Not sure about your specific league. Almost everywhere the visiting team calls the coin. The answer to your second questions is the restart is a IFK only if the goalie handles the ball deliberatly after it has been kicked to him deliberatly by a teammate.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

1. Almost anywhere the visiting captain calls the coin toss. 2. There's no "restart" if a defender deliberately kicks the ball to his keeper. That's NOT an offense. The offense is if the keeper handles the ball. THEN the restart would be an IFK for the opponents at the spot of the handling subject to the Special Circumstances in Law 8.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

1. I agree with the others that it's tradition to allow the visiting team the courtesy of calling the coin toss. I would note however that there is absolutely no advantage in doing so. In fact, the referee could use a two-headed coin and it would be just as fair, as long as the captains didn't know what the coin looked like before the toss.

2. The infraction is the goalkeeper touching the ball with his hands after it has been deliberately kicked or thrown in by a teammate. The restart proscribed in Law 12 is an indirect free kick taken at the point of the infraction - where the keeper touched it. Unless this occurred inside the goal area, in which case the ball is moved to the 6 yard line for the IFK.

I note that this question is being asked about an AYSO U10 game. Local league rules may vary at this age. It may not even be an infraction - some leagues pick and choose which parts of the Laws they feel are appropriate for the youngsters to abide by. Some leagues make all restarts indirect, or all restarts direct. To get a definitive answer at this age group you have to look at your local Operating Rules.