Question Number: 22478

Law 10 - Method of Scoring 11/9/2009

RE: Travel Under 9

Phil of Nutley, NJ USA asks...

Can a self goal be scored when a defending player purposely kicks a ball into their own net?

Is this a goal or a corner kick?

No deflection but an intentional kick into the goal.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

During active play, a defender can intentionally score an own goal for the other team. If the referee believes one team is intentionally trying to lose, the referee should note this in the match report, but should not otherwise intervene. The appropriate response is left for the league to decide.

On most free kick restarts (kick-off, direct free kick, indirect free kick, corner kick, etc. ) a goal is not scored if the defender directly (without touching another player) kicks the ball into an own goal, and the restart usually will be a corner kick for the opponent.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Phil
A goal can be scored by a player against his own team in open play. As you know it happens accidentally through an effort to prevent the ball saying going across goalmouth and the ball is deflected into the player's own goal. There is nothing in the law about a deliberate own goal and I have never seen it done deliberately but if it does happen the goal has to stand.
As regards goals from a restarts it is not possible for a team to score in its own goal directly from any restart. If that does happen the restart will be a corner kick.
The referee must not interfere in matters such as a team intentionally trying to lose or a team dispute resulting in this situation or a player who refuses to be substituted. He simply reports the matter in his match report.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

A few years ago there was a professional or semi-professional team in Africa (Madagascar?) that took some umbrage to the game or how it was being called. They decided to score own-goal after own-goal as a protest. The score ended up somthing like 150-1. A farce of a game, but it is up to the competition authorities to deal with this, not the referee.

Some youth leagues have instituted maximum goal differential rules in order to keep teams being blown out from feeling too bad. So when the winners get too far ahead, they simply score an own goal or two, and then they can go on shellacking the opponents. A truly appalling display of sportsmanship, but again something that is to be dealt with by the league.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

In active play a goal!
If a free kick restart or throw -in restart and the ball directly enters the own goal it is always a corner kick restart!
Watch out for the bad feelings that might be evident by the team-mates and the things said or done in retrospect!
Cheers