Question Number: 17800

Law 14 - Penalty kick 11/9/2007

RE: high school High School

steve porter of Sacramento, Elverta, Antelope, Roseville, Carmichael, FAir Oaks, california usa asks...

This question is a follow up to question 1001

At my sons game last night "Rio Linda vs Eldorado high school" the other soccer team recieved a free direct kick on a foul??? that happened in the box. The kick was made ,blocked,hit the pole. The kicker ran up and kicked the ball in the goal and it was counted as a goal. The players and the coach tried to appeal to the referee but he would not budge the side linesman was clueless.
Is not the kicker ineligable to kick the ball a second time unless another player kicks it first?
The score was 1-0 .

Answer provided by Referee Steve Montanino

Steve,

Your English isn't that great so let's be clear on the details.

1) A player from team A took a direct free kick.
2) The ball hit off of the crossbar and posts, but it did not touch any other players.
3) The player who took the kick for team A was the next player to touch the ball.

If that sequence listed above is true, then the referee should have stopped play and awarded and indirect free kick to team B. In soccer a player may not touch the ball a second time after taking a free kick, kick-off, throw-in, penalty kick, or corner kick, UNTIL it has been touched by another player or until it goes out of play.

However!!!! you say after the kick was taken the ball was "blocked" and I can only assume this meant that the ball made contact with another player on the field. Once the ball touches ANY PART of any other player, the kicker is within his rights to play the ball again. So I believe in this situation that the referee got it right.

The rule does not require that the kicker wait until it has been kicked again, merely all that is required is that the ball is touched and a block = a touch. I hope the coach and player's didn't yell at the referee about this, because if they did they owe him/her a BIG apology. I doubt will apologize though - even though thats the right thing to do.

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

If the foul happened in the "box" (penalty area) then the restart would be a penalty kick, and if outside the penalty area, it's a direct free kick. Even so, as Ref Montanino points out, even the PK, like a free kick, must touch another player before the kicker can play it again. Perhaps the referees were not nearly as clueless as the coach and the players?

Answer provided by Referee MrRef

I took the liberty of speaking with the Referee on that match, a USSF Grade 05 who I have the utmost respect for. Here are his words as written in an e-mail to me:

Its pretty much like they said. I stopped play in the 49 min after I saw the Rio Linda defender tripped the attacker one foot inside the box. The striker stayed on the ground for about 5 sec..... when he got up we commenced with the restart (PK).

The kicker for El Dorado shot the ball one foot left of the goalkeeper.....in an effort to save the shot, the ball came off the GK's left hand then hit the cross bar. I think that's when the fans from the home team wondered if the rebound shot by the same kicker should count.... it did.

I calmly explained to the team captain and then went over to the head coach and he totally understood the goal was legal....as far as me and the crew ...there was no doubt what had occurred....I just looked at the AR on the Rio Linda side and he give me a thumbs up and we continued.

All The Best
Derek