A&H

Circumventing the law

Bugz81

New Member
Hi all, Just back from a game where with a few mins remaining, the gk plays the ball to a defender inside the box who then flicks it up and headers it back to the gk who catches it and proceeds to kick it out from his hands. I blow for an idfk in the box explaining you cannot do that as it's circumventing the laws regarding passing back to gk. Both teams claimed I was wrong and the attacking team proceeded to kick the ball out for a goal kick. They were stating that they had been doing it all season. Can someone just confirm I acted correctly in this instance, as I am in my first season reffing and this is the first time I have come across this. Thanks.
 
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Other than the defender needing a caution for the "trickery"... spot on.

Now, if this was a goal kick by the GK and this happened? Just retake the goal kick.
 
It was from a goal kick, I didn't realise that it should just be a retake, I thought it was 'circumventing' the law whether in open play or not. The manager later admitted that some refs have previously allowed it and some have not.
 
So the keeper passes out with his feet, straight to defender who immediately flicks it up and headers back to keepers hands.
 
Sounds like myself and the players were wrong then, me for awarding the idfk and them for thinking it was ok for the keeper to then play out from his hands.
 
Actually this should not be a retake but a YC and a IFK. The IFAB circular mentions a retake if the keeper flicks it up to a player who heads it back. But the OP said the PLAYER flicked it up to himself and then headed it to the keeper. That is still circumvention.
 
YC and IFK for me. Different circumstance to if the GK had flicked it up for the player to head back (which is a simple retake).
 
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So for future reference it seems I was correct in decision but I did fail to caution. It just threw me a bit when the side I awarded to were supporting the opposition.
 
IFAB released a clarification earlier in the season that if this happens from a goal kick then it's to be retaken.

Basically they didn't anticipate this happening when the goal kick law was updated!
Not sure this counts. The ifab circular was released for the keeper flicking it up and the defender heading it.
This OP the defender has received the ball to his feet and then the flicked up and headed back.
This is out and out circumventing for me
 
What's the point in circulars that don't circulate the majority of referees?
They're published on the IFAB website.

If you want to ask why things are circulated all the way down, why not ask your ref secretary or your local FA?
 
They're published on the IFAB website.

If you want to ask why things are circulated all the way down, why not ask your ref secretary or your local FA?
I know some local refsec's very well and i can guarantee they know less than me. Half (maybe less than in my case) a chance that even that my RDO would not know such detail
 
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regarding if the IFAB circular applies here, I think it does. It is the same concept. Yet again another IFAB clarification which is not clear enough. It addresses the most common scenario of goalkeepers taking a goal kick but not other players taking it. There are a whole lot of combinations of who takes the goal kick, who flicks it and who headers it back to the keeper, all of which made possible/practical by the new goal kick change and IMO all of which should come under the circular resolution.

http://static-3eb8.kxcdn.com/documents/809/091719_070819_Circular_16_LoG_Law_16_clarification_EN.pdf

The existing circumvention law specifically includes free kicks but is not explicit on goal kicks.
 
On the latter discussion point, I think the expectations on local referee bodies to communicate circulars to their referees is misplaced given that most/many of them don't even communicate the new laws to their referees. As a referee, if one cares enough about the quality of service they provide, they should seek to keep themselves up to date without having to pushed to them from higher bodies. On the other hand, there are plenty of teams out there happy to get any kind of referee, even the ones who have not kept themselves up to date.
 
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