A&H

Keeper handling a drop ball

Duncan Francis

Active Member
Level 7 Referee
In a recent game I stopped play due to an attacking player down in the penalty area with a possible head injury. When we were ready to restart I simply dropped the ball in the penalty area and the keeper picked it up. Assessor told me after the game that the keeper cannot handle a drop ball but has to play it with his feet as for a back pass. Was he correct ?
 
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Oooh. I always let the keeper pick it up from a drop ball....

What everybody wants... And always thought it was perfectly legal. Would be interested to know if its not!
 
@Duncan Francis the assessor is incorrect in law.

The ball is in play once it touches the ground and as such the goalkeeper is perfectly allowed to handle the ball (providing they are within their own penalty area obviously!)
 
Agree with ASM

Suggest you tell the GK to count to 5 before he/she hoofs it up the pitch - gives you a chance of getting up to the drop-zone :)
 
@Yacinho
I agree with you - but - someone once asked me this - to which I wasn't sure what to say ...

If a GK and an opposing outfield player competed for the drop-ball - could the GK be kneeling down to pick the ball up the moment it hits the floor ... could it then be considered dangerous play by the GK (i.e. dangerous to himself as the oppo player is going to swing at the ball / GK) !?!?
 
Mmh, i'd say that the GK is always allowed to reach for the ball with his hands in his own penalty area, otherwise you would say that a GK diving in the feet of an opponent is also a dangerous play for himself
 
Mmh, i'd say that the GK is always allowed to reach for the ball with his hands in his own penalty area, otherwise you would say that a GK diving in the foots of an opponent is also a dangerous play for himself

Fair shout !

I think the person asking me the question was exaggerating the point and imagining the GK's head on the floor next to where the ball drops ! ... does sound ludicrous but you know what some players can be like!
 
Agree with ASM

Suggest you tell the GK to count to 5 before he/she hoofs it up the pitch - gives you a chance of getting up to the drop-zone :)

Done exactly this at the weekend. U17 and this kid could kick. He picked the ball up and told him to give me a few seconds to least get to the halfway line before booting it. He kindly obliged.
 
One of my assessors in Norway actually said this to me as well. I found it non-sensical, so I asked another assessor about it. He said it was wrong and that he would talk to the other assessor to make sure he got his view corrected. So, while a strange view, it does not appear to be unique.
 
you could say to the attacker that if tries to score then it will be a goal kick so may as well just tap it to the goalie and have no worries. I always thought that the gk can pick straight up anyway.
 
you could say to the attacker that if tries to score then it will be a goal kick so may as well just tap it to the goalie and have no worries. I always thought that the gk can pick straight up anyway.
He can score if he control the ball and then kicks it to the nets
 
you could say to the attacker that if tries to score then it will be a goal kick so may as well just tap it to the goalie and have no worries. I always thought that the gk can pick straight up anyway.

Which bit of him getting the ball in the net makes it a GK? you have 2 player, contesting a DB. Pall becomes active when it hits the floor. at the point it become active he hits it in the net ...

In that case, wht if the keeper hoofs it with his foot and it goes in the other goal - GK also?
 
As the Laws say, cannot be scored directly. From the instruction I've received, that was taken to mean on the first touch of the drop ball. A player can take control of the ball, dribble it forward 2-3 feet and then kick it into the goal... and that'd be a goal.

So, in your case, DB hits the ground, player kicks it into a goal with that first touch. Goal kick if it is his opponent's goal, corner kick if it is his own goal.
 
@HRW AlexF is correct. If the goal is scored on the first touch of the ball in either net it is a corner/goalkick depending on player that kicked it. If the player takes a touch then scores, its a goal.

Strange law, would make more sense to treat it like an IDFK.
 
If a player controlled and scored when the ball had been in the defence favour before the stoppage I think that player will probably be getting some punishment from the opposition later in the game! Of course I would ensure that I sanction any foul play against them but you'd have to be thinking "you brought that on yourself".
 
Done exactly this at the weekend. U17 and this kid could kick. He picked the ball up and told him to give me a few seconds to least get to the halfway line before booting it. He kindly obliged.
Haven't had this for a while, but came up yesterday. Keeper had taken a long six seconds for every kick up to that point....I was reminded of the value of asking for a few seconds as the ball whistled past my head and landed about 50 yards in front of me...sigh!
 
No he can't !
Why not? As far as I can see the law says that a goal is not scored if the ball is kicked directly into the goal after a dropped ball. There is no law against touching the ball twice from a DB as there would be from a FK so if a player takes a touch and then scores, it has not been kicked directly into the goal and surely is therefore a valid goal?
 
Mmmm just read the law, looks like your right, needs amending or it is completely pointless as it stands.
 
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