Question Number: 24743

Law 17 - Corner Kick 3/28/2011

RE: Select Under 15

Peyton Parker of Pascagoula, MS USA asks...

On a corner kick, is a player on the other team allowed to stand directly infront of the goalie?
So close that the goalie cant move forwards?
And, if she is could the goalie PUSH her out of the way?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Peyton
Every player is entitled to their position on the field of play. There is nothing wrong with a player positioning himself directly in front of the goalkeeper provided that he does not impede the movement of the goalkeeper when the ball is put into play.
I would strongly advise that the goalkeeper does not push the player out of the way but rather move to the side.
If the player steps across with the intention of blocking the goalkeeper's movement that is an offence. If however the push happens before the impeding then that can result in a penalty kick.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

Peyton:

The goal mouth is a crowded place during a corner kick. Each player is entitled to take up a position.

An opponent is not entitled to MOVE in a way that hinders the goalkeeper. It is legal for the opponent to stand still in front of the keeper. But, opponent's rarely stand still. If the opponent moves when the keeper moves, she should be called for impeding the keeper.

A keeper is entitled to move around the opponent. A keeper may not lawfully push her opponent, hold her jersey or pull her hair. Those fouls could result in a penalty kick. Keepers learn a number of techniques to deal with the opponent. Most also learn how to make sure the referee is looking for the impeding foul. Sometimes, however the best counter is a big, strong defender.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Every player is entitled to stand wherever she wishes. That said, a defender cannot shadow the keeper and prevent her from seeing or moving towards the ball. The referee should intervene before the kick is taken and either warn verbally or show the defender a yellow card.

The keeper CANNOT just push the defender out of the way. If she does, she will almost certainly be seen by the referee (we may miss a lot of fouls but we almost never miss retaliation). If for some reason the referee has not seen the activity it would be far better for the keeper to yell out something like 'Hey ref she's blocking me' so at least the referee will look in that direction.

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

See Question: 24757

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