The Laws of Soccer

July 14, 2011 7:58 AM

During the USA world cup match yesterday a French player knocked the ball out of Hope Solo's hand when Hope was looking for a player up field to send the ball to. I saw a similar play in a different match where a player was yellow carded for doing this. What do the laws actually say about a player doing that to a GK?
posted by josher71 to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (14 answers total)

if a ref see's it, they can do they can call it a cautionable offense: stated by FIFA as :

Cautionable Offenses
A player is cautioned and shown the yellow card if he commits any of the following seven offenses:
• unsporting behavior
• dissent by word or action
• persistent infringement of the Laws of the Game
• delaying the restart of play
• failure to respect the required distance when play is restarted with a corner kick, free kick or throw-in
• entering or re-entering the field of play without the referee’s permission
• deliberately leaving the field of play without the referee’s permission
A substitute or substituted player is cautioned if he commits any of the following three offenses:
• unsporting behavior
• dissent by word or action
• delaying the restart of play

I'd call that either Unsporting behavior, it can be given a yellow card and an indirect free kick...

there are no direct laws relating to that infraction, so it'd be captured as i stated above.
posted by fozzie33 at 8:12 AM on July 14, 2011

If the GK is touching the ball, you don't touch the ball. That's a good way to get ejected.
posted by MrBobaFett at 8:12 AM on July 14, 2011

a sending off /red card offense is:

Sending-Off Offenses
A player, substitute or substituted player is sent off if he commits any of the following seven offenses:
• serious foul play
• violent conduct
• spitting at an opponent or any other person
• denying the opposing team a goal or an obvious goal-scoring opportunity by deliberately handling the ball (this does not apply to a goalkeeper within his own penalty area)
• denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity to an opponent moving towards the player’s goal by an offense punishable by a free kick or a penalty kick
• using offensive, insulting or abusive language and/or gestures
• receiving a second caution in the same match
A player, substitute or substituted player who has been sent off must leave the vicinity of the field of play and the technical area.
posted by fozzie33 at 8:14 AM on July 14, 2011

George Best famously had a goal disallowed for kicking the ball after Gordon Banks had released it to kick it. I think the rules may have been changed after that. SLYT
There may be an issue whether the ball is in play when it held in two hands or not.
posted by stuartmm at 8:22 AM on July 14, 2011 [1 favorite]

Best answer: An indirect free kick is also awarded to the opposing team if, in the opinion of
the referee, a player:
• plays in a dangerous manner
• impedes the progress of an opponent
• prevents the goalkeeper from releasing the ball from his hands
• commits any other offence, not previously mentioned in Law 12, for which
play is stopped to caution or send off a playe
posted by fozzie33 at 8:33 AM on July 14, 2011

those are the only laws in the game that reference the keeper in this fashion... FIFA doesn't get too detailed on that specifically, but it can be interpreted in the laws i posted above.
- Tim
posted by fozzie33 at 8:34 AM on July 14, 2011

also in the interpretations of law 12

Offences committed against goalkeepers
• It is an offence for a player to prevent a goalkeeper from releasing the ball
from his hands
• A player must be penalised for playing in a dangerous manner if he kicks or
attempts to kick the ball when the goalkeeper is in the process of releasing
it
• It is an offence to restrict the movement of the goalkeeper by unfairly
impeding him, e.g. at the taking of a corner kick
posted by fozzie33 at 8:35 AM on July 14, 2011 [1 favorite]

There was a recent one of these that happened, trying to find the link. If I remember correctly, the player headed it out of the goalie's hands, and the goalie responded by crushing his head with an elbow. The field player got a yellow, the keeper got a red.
posted by inigo2 at 8:52 AM on July 14, 2011

i was at a game a long time ago [SYTL] where this happened and it resulted in a goal which was allowed to stand. this is really something that seems to be open to interpretation no matter what the "laws" say. and here's a longer piece [SYTL] covering the incident.
posted by iboxifoo at 8:59 AM on July 14, 2011

Response by poster: Here, inigo2.
posted by josher71 at 9:06 AM on July 14, 2011

It can be muzzy - the rules require that the keeper have control of the ball for it to be a foul. If the keeper only has one hand on the ball the ref may decide they didn't have control and therefore it was ok for the opposing player to kick it. I had my thumb broken under just such circumstances a few years ago - one hand on the ball, opposing player kicked it and me. No card, no foul.
posted by leslies at 9:47 AM on July 14, 2011

Response by poster: Huh. That seems like a clear card to me especially since it resulted in an injury.
posted by josher71 at 10:01 AM on July 14, 2011

For the US game, from what I can tell it's because the French player kicked it out of her hand, and subsequently fell on the ball to try to prevent her from recovering it. I am not a FIFA person, but that's what the reading of the rules seems to indicate.

Steven Lenhart (San Jose Earthquakes) recently headbutted the ball out of the goalie's (one-handed) hold. You can also see it occur in this Gary Crosby goal.
posted by bookdragoness at 2:34 PM on July 14, 2011

The goalkeeper is considered to be in control of the ball when the ball is held in both hands, one outstretched open palm, or the ball is trapped between one hand and any surface, such as the ground. The goalkeeper is then considered to still be in control when bouncing the ball or throwing it in the air. If the ball is thrown in the air and it touches the ground, the goalkeeper is no longer in control. The keeper's arm is considered to be fingertips to shoulders. While in control with the hands, they may not be challenged, and an infringement results in a direct free kick.
posted by Errant at 11:50 AM on July 15, 2011