Question Number: 18096

Law 10 - Method of Scoring 12/9/2007

RE: Rec Adult

Jared Kitcher of Ottawa, On Canada asks...

Tonight in our game, a defender saved a goal by deliberately handling the ball. The referee awarded a Penalty Kick, the referee didn't give the player a red card (which we all know is incorrect).

Following the game, a number of players were discussing the incident.

One player said that it was possible for the official to award the goal and give the player a Red card. As far as everyone else knew there was no way to award a goal no matter how obvious it was that the ball was going to go in the net, if it did not enter the net.

So my question is: Is it possible to award the goal even though the ball did not cross the goal line?

Answer provided by Referee Steve Montanino

No.

You are right in your suspicions, and it should go to show you that many player's know very little about the laws of the game.

In order for a goal to be scored all the requirements listed in Law 10 must be met, and it may not be directly from certain prohibited restarts.

So, the ball MUST be in play, it must wholly cross the goal line and go underneath the cross bar and inbetween the two goal posts. If that happens, count the goal, otherwise it can NEVER be a goal.

And you're right the defender should have been sent-off. This referee lacked the courage to do what the law required, and that is a a shame.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Jared,
It is impossible to award a goal if it is successfully denied by the opponent. That is WHY the punishment of a red card/send off is so severe for the transgression of doing so!

If the deliberate use of hands by any defender, with the exception of the keeper, actually denies a goal the offender is shown the red card and sent off reducing his team by one. This is explict in the laws and difficult to to defend if a referee refuses to do so.
Sending-Off Offences
A player, substitute or substituted player is sent off and shown the red card if he commits the following offence:

4. denies the opposing team a goal or an obvious goalscoring opportunity by deliberately handling the ball (this does not apply to a goalkeeper within his own penalty area)

A referee COULD have an opinion that the ball flight would not be on target or there were sufficent other defenders /keeper in behind to stop the ball. The deliberate use of hands on the ball is not AUTOMATICALLY a cardable offence but cautions show a yellow card for USB criteria being met or send off show a red card for DOGSO criteria being met, certainly are in the realm of distinct possibilities, awarding a goal is NOT!!!
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

So, to answer your question "Is it possible to award the goal even though the ball did not cross the goal line?" Yes it is!!!?! Possible...

Of course the referee is absolutely incorrect when he does this. He is violating Law 10 all by himself. But the sad fact is there are people out there who see this as just plain fair. They feel giving the goal is loads better than doing something that might make them unpopular such as sending off a player for denying a goal with his hand. Your referee was almost there, he didn't have the courage to apply the Law so he felt good about that. So another player has learned it is OK to use a hand to stop a goal. Isn't the fairness doctrine special???

Regards,

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

It is not within Law to award a goal unless all of the ball crosses all of the goal line under the crossbar and between the goal posts in accordance with Law 10. If a referee were to award a goal for any other reason, that decision would be not only incorrect but protestable. While players have some strange ideas, we would hope no referee would ever award a goal simply because he thought one would have been scored. What he should do is follow the Laws. In this case, if it was an obvious denial of a goal, that player should have been sent off and shown the red card. The restart of a penalty kick was correct.

Answer provided by Referee Ben Mueller

No it is not. The referee made a huge mistake by not sending off this player.