Question Number: 33459

Law 13 - Free Kicks 6/20/2019

RE: Amateur competitive High School

Juan Hartnack of West Haven, CT USA asks...

On a free kick, the ball is passed back to the keeper, who misplays it and the ball caroms off the keeper's foot and into goal, what is the proper restart?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Juan
The restart is a kick off as a legal goal has been scored.
Had the ball entered the goal directly from the free kick with no second touch the restart would be a corner kick.
Here is a goal from a throw in.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NkfKsGKazsA
Had the goalkeeper not touched the ball from the throw it would have been a corner kick restart.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

HI Juan,
based on your description, assuming the referee had allowed play to be restarted, it is legal goal and you restart with a kick off. You can not score directly on yourself. You can score indirectly which includes an accidental touch as a 2nd touch.
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Hi Juan,
You say the ball was 'passed back' to the goalkeeper so I assume you mean it was kicked by a team mate. And while a goal cannot be scored directly into a team's goal from their own free kick, if the keeper touches the ball on the way in, it has not been kicked directly into the goal, so this would be a legal goal and play would restart with a kick off.