5 rules in football that most fans are confused or unaware about

#2 What happens if a throw in goes into goal?

Throw ins that land in the opposition’s net are awarded as goal kick by the referee

Haven’t you wondered what happens when a throw in goes into the opposing team’s or your own goal? Does the goal stand or will it be ruled out? The situation might seem unrealistic, but it has happened.

A famous example of this was back in 2002 during the Birmingham derby. Aston Villa’s Olof Mellberg took a quick defensive throw in, but the Villa keeper Peter Enckelman misjudged the throw and it rolled into the net. The goal was allowed to stand, but in reality a corner should have been awarded to Birmingham City. The rule according to the FIFA rule book is as follows.

Law 15 – The Throw In

A goal cannot be scored directly from a throw in:

• If the ball enters the opponent's goal directly from a throw-in, the referee shall award a goal kick
• If the ball enters the thrower’s own goal directly from a throw in, the referee shall award a corner kick.

The law makes it clear that irrespective of whose net the ball enters from a throw in, the goal cannot stand and goal kick or a corner is awarded depending on whose net the ball goes into. However, in the past, incidents have occurred where the goal was allowed to stand when a throw crosses the goal line.