A&H

Pass back or not?

joe cunningham

joe cunningham

Well-Known Member
The other week in one of my matches (blues v whites) a blue player was down injured while a white had the ball. I stopped play and restarted by a drop ball, but the blue player insisted on passing the ball back to the whites keeper. I shouted 'keeper, it's coming back to you oright'. So blue attempts to pass ball to keeper but it doesn't quite reach him, it lands at the feet of the white centre back who then passes it onto his keeper. Keeper then picks up the ball as I shouted 'keeper it's coming to you'.

Now I have one set of players shouting for a pass back and the another saying I said it's going to the keeper which although I did I didn't quite know what to do.

In the end i gave an Indirect free kick for the pass back and explained that although I did say it, the keeper should of known not to pick it up once his CB had Touched it.

Hope yous can make sense of what's gone on and was I right to do this or should I of just played on?
 
The Referee Store
By law you are correct to award the indirect free kick. I think I'm correct in saying you cannot enforce a "keeper it's coming to you", and as such as soon as you drop the ball - and it has bounced - play has resumed with all rules applicable. So as I said, correct to award passback
 
You did right about the idfk. However, past a quick word to establish what the player is going to do in terms of contesting it or not, I say nothing about where it is going - Unless I think the player is about to do something sneaky, in which case he gets a "I wouldn't, you will regret it" with a wink. Usually does the trick. Never had to find out exactly why "I wouldn't" :)

Guess what I am saying is, say nothing that can come back and bite you on the bum when football gods inevitably decide to mess with you.
 
Keeper should know better, you were correct in awarding the IFK. 'Keeper it's coming to you' isn't the same as 'Keeper, you may handle the ball' anyway. The ball did come back to him, as promised by you. Good work :)

SM said:
Guess what I am saying is, say nothing that can come back and bite you on the bum when football gods inevitably decide to mess with you.
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Also, this ^. I always used to tell the keeper if he could pick the ball up or not when it wasn't obvious if it was a pass back or not. Gave that up pretty quickly when a keeper misheard my shout of 'don't' and picked it up anyway.
 
Adam Butler said:
By law you are correct to award the indirect free kick. I think I'm correct in saying you cannot enforce a "keeper it's coming to you", and as such as soon as you drop the ball - and it has bounced - play has resumed with all rules applicable. So as I said, correct to award passback
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SM said:
You did right about the idfk. However, past a quick word to establish what the player is going to do in terms of contesting it or not, I say nothing about where it is going - Unless I think the player is about to do something sneaky, in which case he gets a "I wouldn't, you will regret it" with a wink. Usually does the trick. Never had to find out exactly why "I wouldn't" :)

Guess what I am saying is, say nothing that can come back and bite you on the bum when football gods inevitably decide to mess with you.
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Thanks for the reasureance lads .
 
MatthewC said:
I always used to tell the keeper if he could pick the ball up or not when it wasn't obvious if it was a pass back or not. Gave that up pretty quickly when a keeper misheard my shout of 'don't' and picked it up anyway.
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Interesting point.
More recently, in my matches I've noticed instances of the ball finding it's way back to the keeper via the foot of one of his own players (whether deliberately or not is sometimes debatable) and his own team mates deciding (on my behalf :rolleyes:) that it's not a back pass and shouting "you can pick that up!". Hmmmmm....
I work on the basis that if I'm not certain it's a backpass then I let it go, especially if there's no indignant appeal from the other team.
You just know though, that one day it's going to happen - keeper'll get his shout from a team mate, pick the ball up and I'll blow for the IDFK!! Ah well. Unlucky!! :D
 
Why did you say 'keeper it's coming to you' when his teammate had the ball?
I think you've interfered too much there. If the team is sending it back, let them. No need for you to say anything. The defender would have been perfectly entitled to trap the ball and use it himself - you've attempted to control the play after the team have done what they've said to do.
If the team says they're going to send it back and don't, then that's an issue - but if they do and it goes to the wrong player or some such, not your concern.

You had no choice but to award the IFK, but I do think they had a legitimate complaint that you've confused the issue.
 
CapnBloodbeard said:
Why did you say 'keeper it's coming to you' when his teammate had the ball?
I think you've interfered too much there. If the team is sending it back, let them. No need for you to say anything. The defender would have been perfectly entitled to trap the ball and use it himself - you've attempted to control the play after the team have done what they've said to do.
If the team says they're going to send it back and don't, then that's an issue - but if they do and it goes to the wrong player or some such, not your concern.

You had no choice but to award the IFK, but I do think they had a legitimate complaint that you've confused the issue.
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I said keeper it's coming to you when the blue player had the ball, not the centre back.
 
I remember a situation that made my blood boil, luckily being a cool customer, I kept my head and said nothing...

Last season, I was playing in goal as our regular keeper was on holiday. My cm put in a beauty challenge on the half way line with a defending teams player... The ball ricocheted off the players, rocketed up in the air and down near to my penalty area. As the ball rolls towards me, I'm shouting "Is that a pass back? Is that a pass back".... The referee shouts "Noooooooo" and does the whole crossing arms movement... So I pick the ball up and hoof it up field...

A loud violent burst of the whistle and he awards a bloody idfk!!! I was in my six yard box, close to the goal line... He replayed the fk from where I picked it up. I told him of the laws; the ball has to be placed on the 6yard box... He didn't listen... They scored from the resulting free kick... I was genuinely shell-shocked!!! Pass back awarded from a challenge on the halfway line...

We lost 2-1 :mad::mad:
 
joe cunningham said:
The other week in one of my matches (blues v whites) a blue player was down injured while a white had the ball. I stopped play and restarted by a drop ball, but the blue player insisted on passing the ball back to the whites keeper. I shouted 'keeper, it's coming back to you oright'. So blue attempts to pass ball to keeper but it doesn't quite reach him, it lands at the feet of the white centre back who then passes it onto his keeper. Keeper then picks up the ball as I shouted 'keeper it's coming to you'.

Now I have one set of players shouting for a pass back and the another saying I said it's going to the keeper which although I did I didn't quite know what to do.

In the end i gave an Indirect free kick for the pass back and explained that although I did say it, the keeper should of known not to pick it up once his CB had Touched it.

Hope you can make sense of what's gone on and was I right to do this or should I of just played on?
Click to expand...

I had very similar a few years ago. Throw in straight to GK after an injury, which he picks up. Oppo scored from FK as well!
 
Gents, it's a dropped ball, one from each side please....

I can not and will not tell you what to do with it (at which point there's normally a "we'll pass it back to their keeper etc") BUT, it hits the floor before you kick it....... and let's not kick me, please.

Ready?

Spot on for the IDFK, but stay away from advising where it will go, or to who etc. Some may want a shot on goal, and if it goes in......
 
Why are you asking for one from each side? "Drop ball" and let the teams decide want they want to do with it.
 
HRW said:
Gents, it's a dropped ball, one from each side please....

I can not and will not tell you what to do with it (at which point there's normally a "we'll pass it back to their keeper etc") BUT, it hits the floor before you kick it....... and let's not kick me, please.

Ready?

Spot on for the IDFK, but stay away from advising where it will go, or to who etc. Some may want a shot on goal, and if it goes in......
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If he scores isn't it a goal kick?
 
When I have indirect free kicks.... I smash the thing as hard as I can at the goal... The keepers natural reflex is to try and save the ball, a defenders is to get in the way... Ball flies towards goal, keeper flaps, defenders flap.. Makes contact, a quick smile from myself and then a walk to my half.

I've scored 2 from IDFK's so far this season :)
 
DB said:
When I have indirect free kicks.... I smash the thing as hard as I can at the goal... The keepers natural reflex is to try and save the ball, a defenders is to get in the way... Ball flies towards goal, keeper flaps, defenders flap.. Makes contact, a quick smile from myself and then a walk to my half.

I've scored 2 from IDFK's so far this season :)
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I like your style DB :cool:
 
It was a ref that told me once... Years ago I'd mistaken a DFK for an IDFK... Had a shot, keeper parried into the corner.. My team-mates started having a go.... I'd realised I'd shot from an IDFK and maybe shouted an expletive or two... Ref awards the goal... I asked how, he told me (I was a bit naive to the law at that time)...

Been doing it ever since :) The higher the standard, the less chance of success mind... I've tried lol
 
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