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STOPPING BALL DISPUTES?

Question: After a goal is scored, the goalkeeper and the attacking striker both try to pick up the ball for movement to the center circle for a restart.

• Law 15 - Throw In states: "[Ball] is awarded to the opponents of the player who last touched the ball."
• Law 16 - Corner Kick states: "[Ball] is awarded when the whole of the ball passes over the goal line, either on the ground or in the air, having last touched a player of the attacking team."

I reviewed the Laws of the Game (and the Interpretation of the Laws of the Game), and could not find any information on an after-goal situation.

After a goal, is the ball "awarded" to the defending team? Assuming the ball is "awarded" to the defending team, can the keeper grab the ball out of the attacking striker's hands (assuming the striker gets to the ball first)? The keeper should not need permission to exercise his "right" to the ball.

If the keeper gets to the ball first, then the attacking striker attempts to grab the ball. Does Advice to Referees Section 12.28 apply?

Answer: Law 8 - The Start and Restart of Play. "After a team scores a goal, the kick-off is taken by the other team."

The incident described in the question above usually happens when a team:

• feels that they are running out of time to score another goal and they need to expedite the restart
• is behind in the score and wants to try to score another goal as soon as possible
• just tied the game and wants to see if they can take advantage of their momentum and try to score the winning goal
• goal differential matters in the standings and is very important to score as many goals as possible
• their scoring leader needs more goals to be the league scoring leader for the season

This is why is important for referees to prepare for their games and know what's at stake. Also, the referee should always be aware how the score is impacting the game. If a team is behind and is trying to score a goal, how would the team react when they scored a goal?

If the referee has done his homework on getting ready for the game, then the referee can plan the proper approach to the game as well as his pre-game instructions. The referee needs to visualize how each team is going to respond to the situation described above.

This method is known in referee circles as preventive officiating. If the referee expects the teams to try to grab the ball when a goal is scored, then as soon as the ball crosses the goal line, the referee can run toward the goal, blow the whistle and orally inform the players, "I HANDLE THE BALL. LET ME HAVE IT," or in a similar manner that stops the dispute for the ball. The referee then proceeds with the restart in an orderly manner.

Arturo Angeles
Cal South State Director of Instruction