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I swear that when my son and I watch an MLS match on TV, the ball is passed back to the keeper, he'll take a touch or two in the box then pick up the ball. They're not headers or unintentional passes to my recollection. Of course I tell my son that it looks like as long as he touches a back pass with his foot at least once, he can then pick it up. Well, it happened in our U10 match last week. Our defender was pressured, panicked and passed back to my son who took a touch then picked it up -- just like Dad said he could!! The whistle blew and there was an indirect at the 6!! Luckily the opposition shot right at Zachary who made the easy save. Can someone please clarify the Back Pass rule for me? Does the MLS have a variation of the rule that they use for their matches?
Jim Noll
Coach - Dover Lightning (U12 Boys)
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| Nollster, The law was introduced by IFAB so is applicable to all leagues and all standards as far as I am aware. http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/affederation/federation/81/42/36/lotg_en_55753.pdf Law 12 of this document from FIFA talks about an indirect free kick being awarded if the goalkeeper "touches the ball with his hands after it has been deliberately kicked to him by a team-mate".
Kevin Barrow, Publisher, Better Soccer Coaching
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| Unfortunate you advised your son improperly. I'm sure he'll never do that again. Also advise him this also applies to a throw in. He can not directly handle a throw in from his own team. My only guess on the MLS game was the 'kick back' was not deliberate, meaning a deflection, whiff or ball intercepted by the keeper not intended for the keeper. Otherwise it's very possible the ref didn't see it and that certainly happens. Being a referee I can say to you catching everything all the time is no easy task. Now the thing that concerns me was the placement of the free kick awarded to the other team. Did the team mate kick the ball back at the 6 or is the 6 where your son actually picked up the ball? The free kick is to be taken from the spot of the foul, or in this case where it was kicked. Not where it was picked up.  Curious.. 
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| Gorecki, You are right to a point, and your final question is a good one which many people get confused on. The free kick should be taken from the point where the goalkeeper touched the ball with their hands not from where the ball was kicked. It is the act of touching the ball with the hands which is the offense, not the act of passing back to the keeper. If the keeper touches the ball inside the 6 yard box then the resulting indirect free kick should be taken on the line marking the edge of the 6 yard box at the point closest to the foul. The defending team must stand on the goal line between the posts or else be 10 yards away. Another often overlooked fact is that the laws say nothing about picking the ball up. Only touching with the hands. To see how to deal with extreme back passes check out this fantastic bit of goalkeeping from Lyon's Coupet in the Champions League in (I think) 2001. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOT12nrXP0k
Kevin Barrow, Publisher, Better Soccer Coaching
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Ekkk! Gosh Kevin you're correct! There are a couple of youth leagues I ref in where there is a rule variation for this so I didn't even think about the normal ruling. 
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Thanks to everyone for your comments!! The ref gave the indirect on the six as he should. I just felt like a complete idiot when it happened -- my son and I have had a nice discussion on it and he knows he did nothing wrong based on what we "knew" to that point. We've since corrected it and are going to be working with our defensive units on proper reactions to pressure near our own net. In retrospect, if Zachary had actually tried to play the ball with his feet, the opposition would have had a better chance at scoring!!
Jim Noll
Coach - Dover Lightning (U12 Boys)
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| Jim, I'm really starting to like this thread. When I showed Dave Clarke (editor of Soccer Coach Weekly) the clip of the Lyon keeper his suggestion was that you would tell your keeper simply to make the save with his hands as all you're giving away is an indirect free kick. I agreed with this, but now I'm starting to wonder about the implications. As far as I am aware there are no mandatory red or yellow cards for handling the ball from a back pass. However, the law is in effect making the goalkeeper an outfield player from a back pass. So if he handles the ball and prevents a clear goalscoring opportunity should it not be punished with a straight red card? A defender handling on the line would be sent off so why not a keeper if he is temporarily unable to use his hands?
Kevin Barrow, Publisher, Better Soccer Coaching
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Glad to see this may not have been as simplistic as I thought. When I was initially validating what I was viewing on the TV with what I thought the rule was, it made sense that the initial touch couldn't be handled with the hands, but subsequent touches were no longer a back pass, so using your hands to pick it up would be OK. Naive, I know, but since I'm still pretty new to the game, it made sense.
Our overriding philosophy with our keepers is always to make the save first. If there are any repercussions as a result of that action, the coaches will deal with them and we'll give new instruction as necessary. Giving up the indirect is a small price to pay in this case but I really can't see carding a keeper for it -- unless it's a blatant violation of the rule (but what would qualify here??). I think with the other field players, carding makes sense because they're not conditioned to use their hands in the normal course of play.
It's really great to have somewhere to go to ask these questions!!
Jim Noll
Coach - Dover Lightning (U12 Boys)
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| I have to agree to a degree with the argument. An IFK can be better than a goal. But it does often put the goalkeeper at a disadvantage because when the infraction is awarded often the defensive unit is out numbered. An organized quick restart even with an IFK easily puts the keeper in a three shot situation and rarely stopped. So with this in mind it seems carding the keeper would be over punishment after already being placed into a difficult situation. In addition generally 'handling' is called considerably more often then it should be based on Law 12. It even reads 'Handling the ball involves a deliberate act of a player making contact with the ball with his hand or arm.' The call is made so many times when it WAS NOT a 'deliberate act'. This even happens at the professional levels. Granted pro players can be devious. But I'm certain we've all experienced a call where it was not deliberate handling of the ball. Now take this to the lower levels and youth where 80%-90% of the handling calls are not a 'deliberate act'. At the youth level this drives me a little crazy because parents too often get upset when I don't make a call because they've been so conditioned into thinking if the ball touches a hand or arm, it's handling...period. So getting back to where this started, integrating a card for keepers, especially at the youth levels could be over the top. Besides changing the face of the game too extensively, handling is awarded noticably more often then it should be. IMO.
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| One more point for the Nollster though - you say the opposition shot straight at the keeper, who made an easy save. Make sure you advise him that if they shoot directly at goal, he doesn't try to save it at all, but gets well out of the way - the backpass is an indirect free kick, and if the oppo shoot straight into the goal without any other touch, the ball is 'dead' and you re-start with a goal kick. Don't risk trying to make a save but risking deflecting it in, as the goal will stand.
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