Top misunderstood calls in Soccer ---
Hand Balls; There is no such thing as a hand ball
The foul is called Deliberate Handling
A) was it deliberate,
B) did the players hand hit the ball (foul) or did the ball hit the hand
C) did the player try to avoid it
D) players distance from where it was kicked
E) did the player make themselves bigger, stretching their arms out, raising their hands etc.
Offside Calls
Offside, not offsides. One tends to watch a player kick the ball, then look to see if the player receiving it is offside. The player must be in the offside position when the ball is played by his teammate, not after. A) if it is played by an opponent, there is no offside. B) if it is played by his teammate and deflects off an opponent, and was never possessed or controlled by that opponent, it is offside C) if the offside player is offside and comes onside to retrieve the ball after it is played by his teammate, it is still an OFFSIDE offense. He was OFFSIDE when the ball was kicked.
Out of Play (Out of Bounds)
The ball is out of bounds when it wholly crosses a boundary line. Even if a ¼” of the ball has not passed the plane, (wholly over the outside edge of the line), on the ground or in the air, the ball is still in play. The ball is out of bounds on the person it touches last, not the last person to kick it. The throw in goes to the opposing team.
Illegal Throw-Ins
Throw-ins must be performed properly whether they go in play or not. If the throw in is performed properly but does NOT go in play, then it is a retake. If the throw-in is not performed properly, whether or not it goes in play, the throw-in goes to the opponent. You do not get a free ride just because it never went in. The ball is in play when it breaks the outside plane of the line.
Goalkeeper Handling & Playing
A keeper can come out of the penalty area, just not with the ball in his hands. Goalkeepers are also a player on the field. They can go anywhere on the field they want. Goalkeeper handling is only when the goalkeeper touches the ball when it wholly over their own Penalty Area. It is the ball, not the goalkeeper that determines handling. On punts, as long as a goalkeeper releases the ball before it is wholly over the line, they can exit the penalty area to kick the ball. Even if the ball may have been slightly over the line, and it looks like it may still have been in the goalkeeper’s hands, it is considered trifling. Now, if the goalkeeper is completely over the penalty area line (like both feet) with the ball in their hands, that is deliberate handling, and is a DFK-Direct Free Kick for the opponent, with the ball placed just outside the Penalty Area, not breaking the plane of the line.
Goal Kicks and Free Kicks must leave the Penalty Area
Goal Kicks & any Free Kick (Direct or Indirect) awarded to the defending team in their Penalty Area, cannot be touched by any player, until the ball has wholly crossed the Penalty Area line for it to be in play. Teammates can remain in the Penalty Area, but cannot touch it. Opponents must be out of the penalty area, and at least ten yards away from the ball. If the ball is touched by anyone before wholly exiting, the kick is retaken.
Passback to the Goalkeeper
The whole purpose of this law, passed in 1992, was to prevent time wasting. Players would repeatedly pass the ball to their keeper who would pick it up then throw it to their teammate who would then pass it back to the keeper again. It has to be a Deliberate Passback to be called. A deflection off a teammate or kick that unintentionally goes to the keeper is not a violation of the passback law. If you clearly see a teammate pass it back to their keeper and the goalkeeper picks it up, then call it. Not sure, don't call it.