Question Number: 16925

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 9/26/2007

RE: competive Under 15

marshall budd of eht , nj atlantic asks...

when is the goalie safe from having physical contact from the opposing team? What if there is contact with in the six , if the goalie is , or has controll of the ball?

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Safe? It is ILLEGAL to challenge a keeper inside his own penalty area once he/she has control of the ball with his hands. Contact does not necessarily equate to a challenge. the "six", properly called the goal area, is inside the penalty area and the same rules apply.

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

Basically, the keeper is never "safe" from physical contact, that is what the referee is there for. It's the referee's job to convince opponents that physical contact with the keeper, in possession of the ball, is just something they would rather not get involved in. The referee should get in their case and stay there until it stops or he sends them off.

Regards,

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

If within the confines of the penalty area a keeper has at least 6 seconds of UNCONTESTED ball possession where the opposition players must AVOID contact at all costs if at all possible.

There will be times when the keeper will get his hands to a ball roughly at the same time or a fraction of a second later when an opponent is there to kick it or head it. In such cases the referee may choose to look at contact as unavoidable and even fair! The keeper might even be injured and possibly even considered the guilty party in affixing blame to a foul against the attacker!

Referees need to be aware the keeper is often exposed to unfair challenges when at full stretch to a ball. No challenge can be taken against any opponent, against the keeper perhaps even less without the safety consideration of the results of the force used, the speed and the way in which the body is used to tear a hole through the opponent to get to a ball! I have seen strikers slide in with rigid legs locked, plunged into the midriff of a sprawling keeper trying to gather in the ball. I often caution even sendoff the attacker for such rash challenges because the NATURE of such misconduct pose an imminent danger to the opponent!

As a coach I encourage my strikers to never quit on a ball but to never seek to hurt an opponent on the pretext of getting to the ball!
Cheers

The following questions were asked as a follow up to the above question...

See Question: 17018