Question Number: 15053

Law 8 - Start and Restart of Play 3/27/2007

RE: High School

PK of Piedmont, SC US asks...

In a recent game, both teams were fighting for the ball right outside the 6, a defender kicks the ball in an attempt to clear, instead it goes back toward the keeper who picks it up. The ref blows the whistle to stop the play. Keeper then drops the ball while the ref is explaining to him what the infractin was and the attacking team kicks the ball into the goal (ball landed less than 2 feet from goal line). Should this goal have counted? I know that in most cases it is the ref's decision as to whether to allow an indirect free kick, but can it happen 1- 2 feet from goal line and 2- while the ref has not blown the whistle to restart the play and 3- the ref is talking to the keeper about the infraction? This turned out to be the goal that won the game for the attacking team, otherwise it would have went into OT.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

NO,
I cannot belive a referee of even a beginning stature would allow the goal to count, obviously a friend of the opposing team's coach. ;o)

We can place it as in the opinion of the referee it was a deliberate kick by a teammate to the keeper even if we agree to disagree!

While a whistle will stop play, only in a ceremonial restart or at the referee's discrestion is a whistle required to restart play on a free kick !

However, the INDFK restart must occur on the outer edge of the goal line no nearer than 6 yards away from the goal if the goal area was the site of the infraction.

The referee if he is intervening to make a point need NOT allow a restart that is blatantly unfair by distracting the keeper. It is just bad mechanics and poor game and player management.

As a coach this could annoy me enough to protest the result as the law was applied incorrectly!
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

Not even HS rule modifications would allow this. First, an inbound free kick can be no closer to the goal than the 6 yard line. Second, it's an indirect kick. Third, I question whether the game should have been stopped at all - it doesn't sound like a deliberate kick to the goal keeper.

Still, the ref does not have to blow a whistle for a restart. There was a high-visibility game in Europe a few weeks ago where they scored on a direct free kick awarded about 25 yards from the goal, while the defense was milling about trying to set up a wall.

Another instance was in a USWNT game a few years back. The goalkeeper did something to warrant an IFK against her team. One of the US players snatched the ball from the GK's hands, placed it on the ground, kicked it sideways and back to her teammate, who slotted it in the goal - all while the goalkeeper was still arguing the call!

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

When the referee stops play in a goal area and the restart is for the attack there are two possible outcomes, direct and indirect and neither point of restart is where the foul occurred. Direct is on the penalty mark and indirect is on the long line of the goal area nearest the point of the foul. The referee made an error in allowing the restart and the goal.

Regards,