Control, Possession and Goalkeepers

Perhaps for some the concept of “the beautiful game” conjures images of graceful players performing a pas de deux over the pitch before pirouetting and dancing off after the ball again. Certainly, grace, balance and nimbleness of foot are valuable traits and they play a large role in the game. But so do strength, speed and aggression. It is, after all, an athletic contest.

As with any other team sport in which physical control of the ball is a necessity for scoring, the opposing teams are going to battle each other for that control. Just like with other team sports, the acceptable methods of contesting for control of the ball are provided in the rules and enforced by the officials.

Field players generally control the ball with their feet, although they can also use legs, head, chest, back and really any part of the body other than hands and arms. The goalkeepers can also control the ball the same way. Goalkeepers, however, may also use their hands and arms, (but only within their own penalty area) and when they do so that may result in possession of the ball. I use the two terms, control and possession, somewhat imprecisely, but deliberately, in the hope of providing clarity.

Any player with control of the ball may be challenged for control by any opposing player anywhere on the pitch. This includes goalkeepers in control of the ball. By contrast, a goalkeeper in possession of the ball, that is, using his hands, cannot be legally challenged.

That brings us to two points regarding goalkeepers.

Let me address the minor point first. The goalkeeper cannot maintain possession of the ball for more than six seconds once he is in a position to distribute the ball (no longer lying on the ground after a save, for instance). You will never see a referee count off the seconds, and for some referees, six seconds is a lot longer than for others. But the idea is to prevent extensive time wasting by the goalkeeper. Like any field player, however, he can attempt to control the ball with feet or head, etc. for as long as he wishes.

So that brings us to the major point. What constitutes possession by the goalkeeper? That answer is very simple. The goalkeeper establishes possession by pinning the ball to any surface (the grass, the goal post, his other hand, any other part of his body) with any part of either hand or arm. You may occasionally hear a coach yell “one finger” at a referee. That is the coach’s way of suggesting that his goalkeeper has established possession of the ball – “pinning the ball with as little as one finger.” So when does the use of hands and arms by the keeper NOT result in possession? A good example would be whenever he deflects a shot rather than catching it.

For how long, you may ask, does the keeper have to pin the ball to establish possession? Possession is instantaneous. Even if the keeper pins the ball while the attacker’s foot is already swinging, he has gained possession of the ball, and the attacker must cease his challenge. And if he doesn't? We’ll answer that question when we talk about fouls.

Laying on the ball or holding it between the legs or pinning it with a part of the body other than hands and arms does not count as possession. What happens in that situation will also be addressed later.