An attacking player chases a long ball that is going towards the opponents’ penalty area. The goalkeeper catches the ball when their feet are inside the penalty area but the hands and the ball are outside. What is the correct decision?

THE DECISION

The goalkeeper committed a handball offence because the point of contact between the hands and the ball was outside the penalty area (the position of the goalkeeper’s feet is irrelevant). The referee stops play and awards a direct free kick to the attacking team. The goalkeeper is sent off (red card) if the offence denied an obvious goal-scoring opportunity; if it stopped a promising attack, the goalkeeper is cautioned (yellow card).