About Marney Egan Expertise I can answer almost any question about the game of soccer (drills to practice, what to do in different situations, calls made by the referee, gear to use, fitness, etc.). I was a goalie in HS and college so I am able to answer more specific questions about this position. I can also provide insight on the college game (recruitment process, what to expect, etc.).
PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR AGE AND EXPERIENCE WITH THE GAME SO I CAN PROVIDE AN ANSWER CATERING TO YOUR AGE AND ABILITY. THANKS!!
Experience I have been playing soccer for 20 years (10 years as a goalie) and played at a D-I college. My father played professionally and has been a personal coach for my siblings and me through our careers (we have all played in college). I am currently coaching a U-13 Girls club soccer team and have also coached at several college camps during the summer including one hosted by the US Naval Academy.
Organizations Coach for Allegheny Force Football Club.
Education/Credentials Degree from Bucknell University; attended numerous soccer camps over the years including ones hosted by Notre Dame (Women's D-I National Champs) and Messiah College (Women's D-III National Champs).
Awards and Honors Patriot League Academic Honor Roll; Captain of high school soccer team.
Question My question is about, what is the rule regarding goalie getting a red card. My daughters High School team goalie received one in an attempt to secure the ball from an advancing player. She was (goalie)outside the small box in front of goal but, not outside the bigger one. She had one hand on ball and was bringing her other hand over to secure ball with both hands and, tripped the player the was trying to score on her. What is your take on this ruling?
Answer I apologize for the delay of my answer, but life has been a little hectic for me lately as I'm sure you can understand. It is hard to say whether the call was a correct one to make considering the circumstances. In this case it seems that the card was issued to the keeper because she appeared to deliberately interfere with a goal scoring opportunity.
According to FIFA's Laws of the Game, a red card can be given to a player who "denies 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." Meaning that if a player deliberately fouls an opposing player in order to prevent them from scoring, the player who committed the offense can be shown the red. I believe that because the keeper tripped the advancing player, which is an offense that would result in a penalty kick (since it was in the box), it was seen as a deliberate act and therefore she was issued a red card.
However, the part that is tricky is the fact that she already had one hand securely on the ball and was simply bringing her other hand over to further secure it. FIFA views a goalkeeper's control of the ball as "while the ball is between his hands or between his hand and any surface (e.g. ground, own body), while holding the ball in his outstretched open hand, or while in the act of bouncing it on the ground or tossing it into the air." FIFA also states that, "When a goalkeeper has gained possession of the ball with his hands, he cannot be challenged by an opponent." Therefore, the goalie should not have been given a red card since she may have already had possession of the ball and was in fact being challenged by the advancing player. In this case, if the advancing player had touched the keeper, she should have been the one called for a foul and it would have most likely resulted in a direct kick coming out of the box.
However, since a keeper's possession of the ball can at times be questionable, most referees typically view possession as being when the goalie places both hands on the ball or has it secured in some way by her body. This could be part of the reason why the keeper was given a red card because they did not consider her to be in possession of the ball and therefore thought that she impeded the play. It is difficult for me to judge whether she was in possession of the ball without actually seeing what occurred, but there is one distinctive thing that would determine whether or not she had possession: if the hand that was touching the ball was behind the ball I would not consider that possession and in this case the referee made the correct call, but if her hand was on top of the ball and pinning it to the ground then she did have possession and should not have been given a red card.
I know that this was a long explanation but I wanted to make sure that you fully understood why they would issue a red card to the keeper. I hope this was helpful and if you have any other questions about calls made during the game feel free to ask again!
