In association football, the back-pass rule refers to an offence within Law 12, Section 2 of the Laws of the Game. This offence is committed when the goalkeeper handles the ball after it has been deliberately kicked to them by a team-mate, or after receiving it directly from a throw-in taken by a team-mate.
An indirect free kick is awarded to the opposing team from the place where the offence occurred, i.e. where the goalkeeper handled the ball. In practice, this offence is very rarely committed.
USSF has provided the following guidance on how this offence should be judged by referees:
While not an infringement of the back-pass rule, players are also prohibited from using a deliberate trick to pass the ball to the goalkeeper with a part of the body other than the foot to circumvent the rule. This would include, but not be limited to:
If a player uses such a trick, they are cautioned for unsporting behaviour, and the opponents are awarded an indirect free kick from where the trick was performed. It is irrelevant as to whether the goalkeeper subsequently handles the ball or not.
The back-pass rule was introduced in 1992 to discourage time-wasting and overly defensive play after the 1990 World Cup was described as exceedingly dull, rife with back-passing and goalkeepers holding up the ball.
Therefore, another rule was introduced at the same time as the back-pass rule, with the same intentions. This rule prohibits the goalkeeper from handling the ball again once he has released it for play. This offence would also result in an indirect free kick to the opposition.
In 1997, the back-pass rule was extended to prevent goalkeepers handling the ball when received directly from a team-mate's throw in.