Question Number: 17100

Law 13 - Free Kicks 10/5/2007

RE: Select Other

franco of Bloomington, USA asks...

QUICK FREE KICKS

Do you ever ask other refs why they allow teams to infringe upon the 10yd rule as a way to slow down the quick kick instead of showing the a card to the offending side or players?

Here is another situation. Team A is fouling quite often and as soon as they foul (in the appropriate areas) they would guickly make a wall at about 7 yards. Team B would quickly take the free kick and sometimes hit the wall. It would happen so fast (wall building and kick being taken), but the kicking team did not complain and appeared they wanted that quick kick even though they were not getting all of their ten yards. I felt like team A knew what they were doing, but I also felt like that team B also knew what team A was doing and was okay with taking the quick kich even if it did mean giving up 3 yards they deserve. Eventually Team B did make them pay and scored from the situation.

Should I have still cautioned Team A, even though team B was okay with and actually scored from it? It was not your obvious stand real close to the ball to slow it down, it was about 7 yards away.

My hometown team thinks they are so smart when they foul and then stand right next to the ball and refs always tells them to move back and give ten, but never shows them the card. I wish they would card them, of course that is high school and I never checked but maybe high school has some different rule.

Do you always show the card to the closest player or can it be the captain regardless of where he or she is on the field

Franco

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

Franco, as you may note in some of our other answers, far too many referees also hold the mistaken belief that the kicking team has to "ask for" 10 yards. In your A and B example, with the team setting up at 7-8 yards, we may give them the benefit of doubt. I've been known to suggest after the kick to players who formed too-close a wall, "Maybe next time you can be at 10 yards?" This was done after the kick was taken, so as to not interfere with a quick kick, and at a point when play was neutral or stopped.

Several players who have come charging in to get right in front of the ball have seen their justly-earned yellow card in my hand. Sometimes amid cries of, "They have to ask" or "But you didn't warn first." Correct, because that's not required.

The more chances you give a team to set a wall wrong, the worse it will become when you finally do take action. If you taught them 5 times in a row that they only have to back up at your direction after they've accomplished their goal of delaying the kick, why would you expect them to go to 10 yards immediately on the next free kick? And why wouldn't you expect wailing and gnashing of teeth when your yellow card comes out?

As for who to card, pick one of the perps who is in the wall. The first brick to set is a good choice, or if you are attempting to move them backward, the slowest brick to respond to you. You should probably try to pick someone who doesn't already have a caution, unless that caution was for a previous incident of not retreating and he needs a firmer form of persuasion to convince him you meant it the first time. Don't give a card to the captain who isn't a part of the shenanigans. He didn't earn it, the teammates did.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Players seem to tolerate this to a certain point. Some referees feel if the players accept it who are they to argue unless the attempt has too much impact to be ignored.
We often point out law 13 simply states a retake if opposing players are within ten yards not that they must be seen as trying to stop the kick. A few of us are very hardliners when it comes to fussing about the kick point. We understand that some disreguard can be viewed as trivial or doubtful in effect. The *must* emphasis on a caution for failing to respect ten yards or delaying the restart we press home is when the opposing player has created the need by failing to comply with withdrawing in a reasonable manner!
Cheers