A defender takes a throw-in and throws the ball to their goalkeeper (a team-mate). The goalkeeper controls the ball with their foot outside their penalty area and notices that an opposing attacker is running quickly towards the ball, so the goalkeeper dribbles into the penalty area and then picks the ball up with their hands. What is the correct decision?

THE DECISION

The referee awards an indirect free kick to the attacker’s team because the goalkeeper is not permitted to handle the ball after receiving it directly from a team-mate’s throw-in. Since the handball offence was committed by the goalkeeper inside their penalty area, there is no disciplinary sanction (no card for stopping a promising attack or denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity).