Question Number: 35840

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 12/17/2024

RE: Professional Professional

Ross of Bristol, England asks...

Say the centre back has the ball at his feet, dribbling in the defensive penalty box. There is no pressure on the ball, he is just simply in possession of the ball, making no attempt to pass or do anything with it except dribble in the box.

Having made no attempt to pass the ball, or have any communication with the goalkeeper, the gk comes and picks the ball up from his feet. With no communication between the players, and no deliberate attempt at trickery or an attempted pass, what would the ruling be? Since the player is in control of the ball but has made no attempt to pass it to the keeper, who has literally just picked it up from his feet, how would this be ruled?

Just had a 30 minute debate post-training, it seems like the obvious answer is pass back, but what rules that this is truly a deliberate attempt at trickery or a pass back?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Ross
Thanks for the question
The use of the term pass back / back pass is a misnomer. Law 12 states that it is an offence punished by an indirect free kick when a goalkeeper
** touches the ball with the hand/arm, unless the goalkeeper has clearly kicked or attempted to kick the ball to release it into play, after:
# it has been deliberately kicked to the goalkeeper by a team-mate
# receiving it directly from a throw-in taken by a team-mate. **

There is no mention of the direction of the kick or the strength of / manner of the kick which can even be control of the ball with the foot. Yes most times the kick is backwards and intended yet it can be sideways or even forwardand not viewed as a kick such as control with a foot.
In addition the Law Glossary states that the “ball is kicked when a player makes contact with it with the foot and/or the ankle”

So dribbling thd ball is a series of kicks and there does not have to be any communication with the goalkeeper and the direction of play can be in any direction. So once the ball is kicked by a team mate to the goalkeeper or to a place for a goalkeeper it is an offence for the goalkeeper to touch the ball with the hands no matter direction or intent.

If you think about it what would stop any defender dribbling the ball into the penalty area and then leaving the ball to be picked up by the goalkeeper.
What you describe is an offence punished by an IDFK every single time.
Yes there can be times when it is a scramble and the pick up is a save or the kick is a challenge for the ball etc which makes the offence doubtful. In such cases it generally results in a referee not calling it.