Question Number: 14787

Law 13 - Free Kicks 2/2/2007

RE: C -4 Adult

Chris Daoust of Rockland, Ontario Canada asks...

Hello;

I am about to start my 3rd year of refereeing and love the game. I do have some difficulty is remembering when to use what restart mention but that coming. In the next two weeks I will be taking a C-3 Clinic and believe that I should not encounter any difficulty in aquiring this level of certification. I am however a bit puzzled with some of Law 13 - Free Kicks. More specificially, Free Kick Inside the Penalty Area. In one area of the Law is states: The ball is in play when it is kicked directly beyond the penalty area. However under the infringements/Sanctions it states: If, after the ball is in play, the kicker deliberately handles the ball before it has touched another player: a penalty kick is awarded if the infringement occurred inside the kicker's penalty area. How can this be since the ball is not considered in play until it has left the kicker's penalty area? This same confusing statement is found in Law 13 when the goalkeeper is taking a Free Kick with his own penalty area.

I must get this area of Law 13 straight in my mind before the upcoming C-3 clinic.

Thank you for your assistance.

Chris

Answer provided by Referee Ben Mueller

To keep it simple...no one can touch ball until it leaves penalty area on a free kick to the defending team in penalty area. If any player touches ball before it leaves penanlty area, the restart is a rekick. If the ball leaves penalty area and a defender touches ball with hands after, then the restart is dfk or PK if in penalty area.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

Think about the ball leaving the penalty area, so it is in play, and then rolling back into the PA without any other player touching it. It might be caught in a strong wind, or bounce off the referee. If the kicker inside the PA is then the first *player* to touch the ball, he uses his hands, and it's not the goalkeeper, then it would be a penalty kick.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Chris,
any restart in favour of the defending team within their own PA must have the ball completely pass outside the boundrylines before the ball is in play. Also no opposing player is allowed inside the PA as well as respecting the 10 yard distance on a defending free kick from inside the PA! You can not play advantage or consider a deliberate handling violation inside the PA as a more serious transgression and award the ball to the opposing team as the BALL is NOT in play until it leaves the PA!!! The deliberate handling or a second touch that could occur is in fact ONLY misconduct not a foul as the BALL is not in play until it leaves the PA!

You need to remember exceptions to the laws are based on SPECIFIC incidents or targeted circumstances.

In your query note it states "AFTER the ball is in play, in the case of a free kick originating inside a defending PA that ball travels outside to BE in play and anything after that returns the ball back into the area could create a foul situation not just misconduct. A sliced kick with backspin or a wind assist could push or cause a ball to spin back into the PA after it LEFT the PA. Here a second touch INDFK restart or a deliberate handling by a player other than the keeper a dfk offence inside the PA becomes a PK. A keeper if quilty of illegal handling inside his PA can only be punished with an INDFK against NEVER a PK inside the PA. To be sure a keeper deliberately handling a ball outside the PA it is a DFK offence but would only be INDFK inside
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Imagine this, free kick comes out of the penalty area and hits the referee and bounces back into the penalty area. The ball is in play as it cleared the penalty area and the keeper may NOT handle it because it has not been touched by any other player. Of course, there's the classic "the wind blows it back into the penalty area after crossing over the penalty area line". While this is almost an impossibility, it could occur. I've actually seen a goal kick bounce off a young referee who wasn't watching and bounce back into the penalty area.

The following questions were asked as a follow up to the above question...

See Question: 14798