Question Number: 18291

Law 13 - Free Kicks 1/25/2008

RE: Competitive Under 15

Heather Meza of Venice, FL USA asks...

Our team has a little trick corner kick that we try to do but we keep getting called to retake it. We have a girl standing at the ball and pretends like she is giving it to our other girl to take the kick,but really that was the kick and the girl receives it and just dribbles the ball right into the area and the other team is confused. We have had refs call it and say it's because the other team didn't know what you were doing. Hello!
That's the whole point! What do you think?
We also have had refs yell to the other team that the ball is in play! Why?

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

The play is legal if it is done correctly. That means no interference from the coach whatsoever. A coach is allowed to give tactical instructions to her players: "Jenny, switch places with Allison." "No, I want Megan to take the kick." If the coach is attempting to fool the opponents with that last statement, rather than really telling Megan to take the kick, she is no longer acting in a responsible manner and could be dismissed from the game. At the least, warned severely by the referee and have the incident mentioned in the game report.

The players themselves must also take care that they do not verbally distract their opponents. That is unsporting behavior, according to the USSF document "Advice to Referees" which interprets the Laws of the Game.

The other problem with this trick is that your team has now demonstrated that any touch, however slight, is intended to put the ball into play. The next time you have a free kick, one of the players uses her toe to get a better "lie" on the ball. Well, I guess that was the kick that put the ball into play. The opponents' wall is now free to charge in, and if the player touches the ball again, it's an indirect free kick for the opponents.

I agree with my colleagues that this play, along with most other trick plays, are generally a waste of time. They might work once in a game, or they might not. You might fool the referee as well, resulting in the ball being turned over to your opponents. Better to teach the skills that will help the players throughout the game, rather than tricks for specific situations that might end up backfiring.

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

Heather the ball is in play when it is kicked and moves. This is a fact of Law 13. Little tricks have been used by teams since Football began to be played.

You run the risk of one of your players handling the ball on a later free kick if she does something like the deception on another free kick. The referee could shout out "that's in play" and take away whatever advantage you think you gain.

The most difficult thing that can happen is if the referee doesn't buy into the players doing it themselves and thinks you're bringing The Game into disrepute. It he is of the opinion you are you'll be expelled from the technical area and field confines. There will be no warning, you'll just leave. And perhaps you'll miss more than just the next match. Is the little trick worth it? Hello?? What's the point of being the coach when you can have no contact with the kids? Think a bit. This isn't just a game it is the World's Game, treat it as such.

Of course it is a free kick, "Free" being the operative word and a player is free to take it when and how she likes.

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

Wouldn't it be more useful to teach the girls skills that would actually benefit them on a corner kick? Like how to curve the ball onto someone's head who knows how to pound it home? Your "little trick" is just that - a nasty little trick that employs no skill or cunning and will only work once in a game, if then. If cheap tricks are what you use to try and win, why play?

Answer provided by Referee Nathan Lacy

It would seem that part of the problem with your "trick play" is that you sometimes end up "tricking" the referee as well and lose the element of surprise as a result. Perhaps this addresses, at least in part, the "why" portion of your question. While deception is part of the game (faking passes and such) there are other "tricks", such as the one you describe, which cheapen the game - at least in my opinion. I'm a refere, not a coach. My responsibility is to ensure to the best of my ability that the game be played within the laws and spirit that we hold so dear. I think it is unfortunate that there are those who spend endless hours thinking up things such as this which are designed to do nothing more, again in my opinion, to stretch these laws and the spirit as much as possible without actually breaking them. Wouldn't it be a wonderful addition and benefit to the game if instead of dreaming up these types of "tricks" that the hours that would have been used in these efforts were instead applied to the instruction and development of truly skillful players? Each person approaches the game in their own way. I trust that you at least find some food for thought in these comments that help you develop a more respectful and truly sporting approach to the game. All the best,

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Heather, this "trick" has been around forever and for the life of me I don't understand why. It seems silly at best. The reason you keep getting called to retake it is you can't simply touch the ball anymore. The ball is in play when it "is kicked and moves". This means there has to be a kicking motion of some kind and actual movement. Some referees are yelling the ball is in play because THEY understand what Fair Play is all about. Not to be harsh, but coaches would make better players if they spent less time on tricks and more time on fundamentals and teaching the players the Laws. Best,

Answer provided by Referee Steve Montanino

Let me step away from the laws of the game question and offer something from a spectator's point of view. This play only works once, and to little effect - it's merely a gimmick. Plus any team with any sort of intellegence for its players or coaching staff will figure you out qucikly.

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me...

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