A goalkeeper leaves the penalty area and approaches an attacker who is running towards the goal. The attacker tries to kick the ball past the goalkeeper, but it rebounds off the goalkeeper’s left arm, which is close to their body. What is the correct decision if the referee judges that the arm did not make the goalkeeper’s body unnaturally bigger and the contact with the ball was accidental?

Question

Accepted Answer

Not every touch of a player’s hand or arm with the ball is an offence – this also applies to goalkeepers outside their penalty area. In this case, the goalkeeper did not commit a handball offence, so the referee allows play to continue and takes no disciplinary action against the goalkeeper.