Question Number: 22884

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 3/1/2010

RE: Under 18

Billie of sydney, Australia asks...

If the goal keeper comes out of his penalty area and picks up a ball at the feet of an attacking player, would a red card for DOGSO apply?

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

Assuming all of the criteria for DOGSO are met (presence of other defenders, control of the ball, direction to goal and so forth) then yes, as this is a simple case of deliberately handling the ball. The fact that he's the keeper doesn't mean anything once he leaves his penalty area.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Billie
The goalkeeper is like any other player outside the penalty area and the DOGSO criteria has to apply in the same way as for any other player. Clearly if the attacker is through on goal and the goalkeeper deliberately handles the ball away from the attacker to prevent a goal scoring opportunity then that is a DOGSO. There can be many other situations though where the goalkeeper deliberately handles the ball outside the PA is not a dismissal.
The referee applies what is referred to as the 4 Ds in his assessment of whether the offence denied an obvious goal scoring opportunity or not.

""Referees should consider the following circumstances when deciding whether to send off a player for denying a goal or an obvious goal-scoring opportunity:
# the distance between the offence and the goal - Distance to Goal
# the likelihood of keeping or gaining control of the ball - Distance to ball
# the direction of the play - Direction
# the location and number of defenders - Defenders""

Examples of a goalkeeper not denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity would be where he deliberately handles the ball outside the PA and the attacker is heading towards the corner flag or the goalkeeper deliberately handles a ball kicked to him by a team mate outside the PA with little hope of an attacker gaining control of the ball.

Answer provided by Referee Gene Nagy

Billie, if any member of the defending team, goal keeper included, handles the ball outside penalty area for the purpose of denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity (DOGSO), he gets sent off for DOGSO and shown the red card. FIFA went to a lot of trouble defining DOGSO, so for the purpose of your question, let us assume that all the criteria for DOGSO are met.

I guess you are wondering if a goalie is a cut above the others. Well he is certainly different. For starters a good goalie should have suicidal tendencies. He gets to wear special uniform from all the others on the field. He can even wear a hat if he is looking in the sun. Referees have a soft spot for these misfits and usually extend special protection to them probably because they are sorry for them. He is even allowed to pick the ball up with his hands sometimes when he is at home. BUT, if he leaves his home, which is known as his penalty area, he suddenly becomes an everyday, normal human soccer player and loses his privilege of touching the ball with his hands. Did you think he had some sort of right to do that?

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

Outside the penalty area, the keeper is just like any another player and can be sent off for denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity (DOGSO). For the USSF, the standard for denying a goal scoring opportunity does not rely on any particular location of ball or players (the 4 D's). Rather, the inquiry for the referee is, but for the handling, would the ball have directly entered the goal.

Indeed, one of the examples used by FIFA to illustrate DOGSO is a keeper standing outside the penalty area deflecting a shot on goal.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

I would just point out something to our American readers. In the LOTG under Interpretations, DOGSO-H is treated like any other offense when considering a send-off. The 4 D's apply. This question comes from Australia where the LOTG are followed and I agree with my non-USSF panelists that in Australia, this is DOGSO-H and the keeper should be sent-off.

But.. if this were a question from an American, DOGSO-H is treated separately from all other DOGSO. DOGSO-H does not require the 4 Ds be present but it DOES require that the referee thought the ball was going DIRECTLY into the goal but for the handling. For that to happen there had to have been a shot on goal which didn't happen here. Also, it's a stretch of the imagination that in the US, DOGSO-H could happen anywhere else than in the penalty area?

The following questions were asked as a follow up to the above question...

See Question: 23671