Question:
I want to bounce off your question from last month on preventing the keeper from releasing the ball.
Team A shoots on Team B and team B’s keeper catches the ball and starts to run forward to punt the ball out. Team A’s player try’s to run into or stop in the keepers path for the punt. In otherwords is trying to hinder the kick by stepping infront of the keeper. So as I read this should be a direct kick given to team B but should it be a yellow card also?
USSF answer (May 7, 2008):
Opposing players may not interfere with the goalkeeper’s right to release the ball back into general play. Law 12 tells us:
An indirect free kick is also awarded to the opposing team if a player, in the opinion of the referee:
– plays in a dangerous manner
– impedes the progress of an opponent
– prevents the goalkeeper from releasing the ball from his hands
– commits any other offense, not previously mentioned in Law 12, for which play is stopped to caution or dismiss a player
The indirect free kick is taken from where the offense occurred.* (see page 3)
The USSF “Advice to Referees on the Laws of the Game” tells us:
“12.17 PREVENTING THE GOALKEEPER FROM RELEASING THE BALL INTO PLAY
“An opponent may not interfere with or block the goalkeeper’s release of the ball into play. While players have a right to maintain a position achieved during the normal course of play, they may not try to block the goalkeeper’s movement while he or she is holding the ball or do anything which hinders, interferes with, or blocks the goalkeeper who is throwing or punting the ball back into play. An opponent does not violate the Law, however, if the player takes advantage of a ball released by the goalkeeper directly to him or her, in his or her direction, or deflecting off him or her nonviolently.”
And, if the referee attempts to stop the interference but is unsuccessful — and it makes a difference in the goalkeeper’s ability to release the ball — then a caution for unsporting behavior is in order.
