A&H

Circumventing the Law

N

NOVARef

Active Member
An IDFK is awarded if a player...
initiates a deliberate trick for the ball to be passed (including from a free kick or goal kick) to the goalkeeper with the head, chest, knee etc. to circumvent the Law, whether or not the goalkeeper touches the ball with the hands; the goalkeeper is penalised if responsible for initiating the deliberate trick.

I hear people talking about this in regards to goal kicks. For example, GK flicks a goal kick up in the air, teammate heads it back, and now the GK can run around the box and punts it. However, the Law just uses this as one example. I see teammates heading the ball back to the keeper all the time during regular play. We all know that players deliberately use their head to play the keeper because the the keeper is allowed to pick it up. How do we determine if that is a trick or if they actually needed to head the ball to the keeper? I guess the question is, what is the definition of a deliberate trick. Thanks.
 
The Referee Store
This is one you call when it is so obvious grandma knows it was circumvention. It is absolutely, perfectly acceptable to head, chest, knee the ball back the the keeper to pick up in open play. All we care about is the egregious. But as @RustyRef says, it's things like the player with the ball at his feet flicks it to himself or a teammate to head back in an uncontested situation. Or the player that gets on his hands and knees to head a still ball. But if you have any doubt it was circumvention don't call it. (Of course, something repeated can make it obvious when it wasn't obvious on the first occurrence.)

The provision has been in the laws for some time and was recently amended to make clear it applies to goal kicks--since the defense has to be outside the PA, it would make a goal kick the same as the ball in the hands of the goal keeper without the restriction, as it could be flicked up against the body of a teammate for the GK to pick up.
 
I'll add a couple of points. Player heading, chesting, kneeing... The ball back to the keeper off a kick from an opponent is never a trick. The law was not made for that. It has to start with a team mate or himself last kick.

If it looks like circumventing but you have doubt, give them that benefit but warn them not to do it. For example one defender kicks it to another defender who lifts foot over the ball for the keeper to pick it up. It could be just that play happen that way. But it could also be a ruse to go around the restriction of deliberate kick to keeper not being handled.
 
An extremely rare occurance. Would advise should you encounter it, and especially should the occasion arise where a sanction follows, try not to quote, ' circumventing the laws of the game'

you will distance yourself from your players, on both sides
 
To me if the ball is in open play and it is available to be headed normally then there is no trick. The trick occurs when a players contrives a way to get the ball into the goalkeepers hand using something that looks like a trick play such as flicking the ball up to his head or kneeling to head the ball when the ball should be kicked. These are now pretty rare as players know that they cannot do it and the goal kick one has also been stopped as well by the amended law. Here is an example
Only reason he did was that he knew the goalkeeper could not pick it up if he kicked it to him. Not a natural play. Surprised the ref waited so long as the offence happened when he headed the ball.
 
pankaye said:
got this from Dutch referee on twitter

https://twitter.com/x/status/1496792839329509381
most people say this is not trickery to circumvent however

however if the defender had used a knee instead of his head how would that affect it.
Click to expand...
Had this one on a different thread the other day Ben. ;)

In open play like this, if it's reactive, as in quick thinking by the defender, then I think its perfectly acceptable.

This subject always gets poured over from time to time but for me, if the action involves the use of the foot first and then the head/thigh/knee/chest in order to get the ball back to the GK then it can be considered a "deliberate trick". Anything else is just astute defending or even skill.
 
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