Question Number: 24734

Law 13 - Free Kicks 3/27/2011

Mark of McFarland, WI USA asks...

This question is a follow up to question 24724

Additional consideration to the previous scenario: If the ball touched the keeper or another defender and went into the goal, could the Referee determine Unsporting Behavior on Red player 'A'?
The defender may not have been able to tell if the referee could react by pulling his arm down quick enough upon Red player 'B' kicking the ball, and had they known for sure the ball did not move on the tap, they could have let the ball cross the goal-line untouched resulting in a goal kick. The only way a player can know for sure if the ball has been touched by a second player on an IFK is if the referee's arm is up or down; no referee can react that quickly on a bang-bang play.

This of course brings up the question: if a goal is scored when the referee 'forgot' to take his arm down, can the score be allowed?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Mark
The goal must stand if the ball is put into play or not from the original touch. The goalkeeper has to make a determination if the ball is in play or not based on what he sees or does not see. The referee cannot determine that nor the intention of the GK who could be trying to catch the ball to start a quick attack.
So there is no question of UB. If the ball goes into the goal directly then its a goal kick.

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

Not sure why or how one would want to apply UB here - it is totally out of place because feinting is allowed on free kicks. This was not feinting, IMHO, just a misguided attempt to put the ball into play. Even if it was a feint, it's legal. The problem on such things is the attack never knows if the referee will consider it in play or not, and it is wholly the referee's decision based on observation - did the ball get kicked (kicking motion) with the foot and did it move (from here to there - small distance acceptable). Of course the same applies for the defense...

On any free kick against them, the defender and/or keeper have a choice to make. If they think the ball is live they must stop it from entering the goal. If they aren't sure, they'd better try - just in case.

The referee here goofed big time in the original question by thinking the ball had to travel its circumference to be in play. But whether the arm comes down or not does not matter here in the greater scheme of things. If the keeper is watching the referee's arm, she'll miss the ball! The only time it matters is when the referee fails to put the arm up to begin with - if the ball scores directly, then the kick would have to be retaken.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Unsporting behavior should not be a consideration here. All player A did was NOT put the ball into play. The keeper is almost always going to try to prevent a ball from entering his/her goal. Many coaches at lower levels instruct their players just to blast an IDFK at the opposing keeper figuring the keeper is likely to touch the ball before it goes into the net.

The keeper should be watching the ball not the referee's arm. When in doubt, virtually every keeper will attempt to stop a ball from scoring.