Can a goalkeeper score a goal with his hands?

Of course it is a goal. The goalkeeper playing the ball with his/her hands is no different than if he/she played it with his/her feet.

Why wouldn't it be a goal?
If the ball is in play, and if he/she has the ball legally (not from a deliberate kick from a teammate or from a throw-in by a teammate) the goal is valid.

Heck of a throw by the goalkeeper.

Two Bites of the Apple!

Most of us are very familiar with the biblical story of Adam and Eve, who where banished from the Garden of Eden for eating the forbidden fruit, the apple.  The forbidden fruit in refereeing a soccer match is to provide an unfair advantage to a player who has already committed a foul.  We, as referees and keepers of justice and safety, can not allow these players to get two bites of the apple.  If we do, we risk loss of control of a match, ejection of players who should have never been placed in that position, or player injury.

A primary example of two bites of the apple can be found in the use or misuse of advantage. Advantage is probably the best call in all of soccer officiating.  A player works hard, gets fouled but still maintains possession and continues to work the ball towards the goal. However, if we do not completely allow the advantage to be realized, if we have a quick whistle, we can provide the offender with two bites of the apple.

For example,  the red team is attacking the blue team and the striker is working the ball towards the goal.  The blue defender sticks out a leg to trip the player without an opportunity to play the ball.  The red striker trips and stumbles over the blue defenders leg. Wait!  There a number of scenarios that can develop from this simple situation that can really test your officiating skills.

Scenario 1 - If the striker falls to the turf and is dispossessed by the defense, no advantage was gained.  Call the foul on the blue and provide red with a free kick.  If you don’t call the foul and allow the free kick, the defender gets two bites of the apple because he first got away with a foul play and his team gained possession of the ball as a result of his unfair play.

Scenario 2 - If the striker stumbles but regains his balance and continues his drive or passes a ball to a fellow red player, allow the advantage.  Yell out “Play On!”, signal appropriately and allow play to continue.  If you are quick on the draw and blow the whistle without allowing the advantage to be realized, you have again given the defense two bites.  Not only did the defense stop play but they also got the opportunity to reset their defense and mark players that may have been available for a legitimate shot on goal.

Scenario 3 - If instead of maintaining possession, the stumbling striker is able to make an attempt to pass the ball to a fellow red player.  However, his off-balanced shot is a hospital ball that is intercepted by a quick reacting blue sweeper.  Stop play.  Call the foul and allow a red free kick.  If you have already called advantage, revoke it.  The advantage was not realized due to the foul.  Allowing the play to continue would allow the original defender to foul the striker and the blue defense to gain possession of the ball.

Scenario 4 - This time the striker regains his balance takes a few steps and fires a line shot towards the goal which hits the crossbar and out of touch.  Allow the advantage.  Restart play with a goal kick.  If you call the ball back because the advantage was not realized, you are giving the offensive team two bites of the forbidden fruit.  You have already provided the team with one bite by allowing the advantage.  The player got off a legitimate goal attempt without further interference from the original foul,.  Bringing the ball back for a free kick would result in a second bite.

Scenario 5 - Let’s add one more wrinkle to this situation.  The player is fouled in the top of the penalty area, regains control and fires a shot on goal which is saved by keeper.  Call the foul!  An obvious call in the penalty must be called.  There is no advantage in the penalty area for the offense.  Why?  Because, what better advantage is there than a penalty kick?  If you don’t call the foul, the defense has gotten away with a serious foul and stopped a goal-scoring opportunity.  Two big bites of that apple.  If you call the foul, the message is sent that this behavior will not be allowed, the offense feels vindicated, and you maintain control of the match.  Truly a win:win:win situation.  You, the referee, get not two but three bites of that sweet, delectable fruit.

Proper use of the advantage call is critical to successful game management.  Providing any one team with more than one bite of the proverbial apple will lead to loss of control, retaliatory fouls, and the degradation of the spirit of the game.  Just as importantly, this degradation will lessen the experience for you and your fellow referees.

by Brian Goodlander

Law 4 and Hair Control Devices

Position Paper

Date: June 8, 2009

Law 4 (The Players’ Equipment) requires that nothing be used or worn which is dangerous, with certain limited exceptions (religious or medical items). It is the responsibility of all members of the officiating team to ensure that this requirement is enforced, not only at the start of play but throughout the entire match.

Although ultimately it is the responsibility of the referee to decide if an item of equipment or clothing presents a danger, an increasing number of hair control devices are being seen which should not be allowed on the field. Referees should take note of the following guidelines when evaluating such devices:

• Hair control devices which are elastic, flexible, and soft should be allowed.
• Devices which are made of hard, sharp, edged, or breakable materials are not safe and may not be worn.
• Beads or other similar decorative devices woven into or affixed on the hair are inherently dangerous and are not allowed.

Referees are strongly urged to be diligent in enforcing these guidelines in the interest of player safety.

Focus and Concentration

UPDATED 6/16/15

Focus and Concentration in refereeing. By Ian Blanchard – FA Senior National Game Referee Manager

It is accepted that every good referee has the ability to maintain their focus during the whole of a game.
But what is focus? How do you develop it? How is it linked to concentration? Are focus and concentration different mindsets? This article will explore the meaning of focus and concentration as well offering some helpful tips that will aid your refereeing.

Imagine driving a car for the first time. There are so many things to think about that it can be a daunting prospect.
But as you focus on each important aspect you steadily become more competent in each area. You develop a clear focus and concentration on strengthening your skills and an understanding of
each part of the car.
Eventually you equip yourself with the skills that enable you to drive a car, at the right speed and safely.
Simply put, focus is what we are thinking about. In refereeing we often hear the word focus or the term being focused. Well we are always focused on something but we need to focus on the right thing.
So in respect of concentration I think you can now start to see the link between focus and
concentration.
In refereeing terms consider the following scenario of two players, who are equidistant, running towards the ball. Your focus is on what is going to happen; your concentration is on the shape of the body of the players as they challenge for the ball.

In the book Football – Raise your Mental Game the authors Richard Nugent and Stephen Brown suggest that “Developing your mental focus and concentration is like developing a muscle. The more you train yourself, the more focused you become.” Referees spend a lot of time developing and
maintaining their physical levels. However, Nugent and Brown clearly suggest that you should also spend time training your brain to develop concentration levels. So how can we do this?

Develop clear goals
These should be related to your refereeing performance, for example - needing to get closer to play. This is a performance goal, a technical target that will enhance your decision-making.
So if you work on your fitness level, your ability to sprint to be closer to play then there is every chance you will achieve this goal.

Practice makes perfect
David Beckham relentlessly practiced free kicks at goal, with several clearly defined targets as to where the ball should go.
So, as a refereeing example, work on repeatedly giving that correct penalty decision: look at how far away from play you are, what angle of view you have; what is your first movement? This suddenly breaks the process down into manageable chunks.

Training the brain
Using simple tasks will help you improve your focus and concentration. Close your eyes and focus on your breathing,
feel your chest moving as you breathe in and out. Count each breath, seeing how many you can count before your mind wanders or is distracted. If you get over 10 you are doing well.
Practice this twice a day and set a target of improving your previous count until you are into three figures.

Focus on the game
Using the above model, focus on 10 refereeing situations.
Do the breathing exercise above but as you take a breath run one of the scenarios through your mind.
For example:
breath – award a corner kick – breath – give a free kick – breath – indicate offside – breath – give a penalty – breath – fair challenge, no foul etc.

Mastering this allows you to remain focused on the key tasks required in refereeing, which are important to you, whilst remaining relaxed.

Eight (8) helpful tips on gaining and remaining focused and developing full concentration:

1. The power of the process
It’s important to focus on what you do as a referee rather than concentrating on the possible outcomes. Positive performances naturally follow when you have developed and mastered the techniques of refereeing.
Remember focusing on the outcome, getting through 90 minutes of a game, does not tell you how to get there.

2. Keeping calm
Improving your focus doesn’t always mean trying harder. Pushing yourself too hard is usually counter-productive, as you’re more focused when you are relaxed, calm and in control. Learn to relax and improvement and success will follow.

3. External focus
If you over-think or over-analyse your performances, they will unravel and become cumbersome.
Stay in the zone during your refereeing, focusing on the physical action rather than your internal thoughts.

4. Inside the bubble
A vast number of distractions compete for your attention when you are refereeing.
Comments from players, from managers, spectator chants are just some of the distractions that can influence your performance. Keep your focus firmly on the game you are controlling and ignore or
block out the distractions.

5. Positive focus
Focus on what you want instead of what you don’t want. It’s more beneficial to focus on being a success rather than a failure.
Always have a game plan, an aim to move towards your goals, dreams or aspirations.

6. See you focused
Take advantage of the brain’s ability to differentiate between reality and fantasy by imagining you looking focused and motivated during refereeing. Close your eyes and recreate the sights, sounds and
feelings when you are refereeing at your best.

7. The progress reminder
Your progress or development as a referee can at times be difficult to measure. At the end of every week record three or more aspects of your performance that indicates you are improving.
Being aware of your progress will keep you focused on achieving your long term goals.

8. Keep in shape
Maintain a high level of fitness at all times.
Concentration and focus are significantly more likely to drop when you are tired; the best way to stop this is to get fitter which in turn will prevent fatigue from setting in.