A deliberate back pass is one sent by a field player, typically a defender under pressure from a forward, to his own goalkeeper. A back pass is not only legal but highly advisable under certain circumstances, such as when a forward pass may lead to a turnover. Still, the Laws of the Game promulgated by FIFA, the international governing body, do take note of certain restrictions when back passing to avoid having a foul called.
FIFA Law 12
Law 12, on fouls and misconduct, notes that it is an offense for the goalkeeper to touch the ball with his hands, even within the penalty area, after it has been deliberately kicked to him by a teammate. While a goalkeeper can pick up a ball that comes off the head, thigh or chest of a teammate, he must use his feet to control a deliberate back pass. If the goalie picks up the ball with his hands, the other team receives an indirect free kick at the spot of the back pass. An indirect free kick requires the kicker to send the ball to a teammate toward the goal; he cannot score directly.
Application
In practical terms, the rule against handling a deliberate back pass means the goalie must quickly gauge whether a ball coming to him off the foot of a teammate will be judged deliberate by the referee. In amateur soccer especially, defenders may accidentally have the ball ricochet off their feet. Or an attempt to clear the ball out of danger may go comically astray and end up heading toward the keeper. While it is safest to clear the ball with a kick, in a crowded penalty area the goalkeeper may opt instead to pick up the ball and hope the referee agrees that it does not constitute a deliberate back pass.
Case Study
Sometimes the rule against deliberate back passes creates controversy at international levels of soccer. In February 2010, for example, London club Arsenal played Porto in Portugal as part of European champions' play. Arsenal goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski picked up a back pass from Sol Campbell, thinking it was accidental. The referee ruled that Campbell had sent a deliberate pass back and awarded an indirect free kick to Porto. A pair of Porto players immediately combined to take the indirect free kick and score a goal before Arsenal could set up a wall in defense, to the protests of Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger.
Expert Insight
The FIFA rule against deliberate back passes to the keeper's hands dates from 1992, notes US Soccer, the official governing body of the sport in the United States. It is designed to keep the ball in play and avoid time-wasting tactics, given that the keeper can take six seconds to kick the ball back into play after picking it up. The referee indeed has to judge whether he is looking at a deliberate pass versus a deflection and can even rule that a pass from a defender to another defender that the goalkeeper picks up qualifies as a deliberate back pass.
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