Question Number: 24099

Law 13 - Free Kicks 10/7/2010

RE: Competitive U14

Brian of Richmond, VA USA asks...

I recently officiated a U14 match as an AR. The center ref awarded an Indirect Free Kick for obstruction (Blue team set a pick for their ball handler). The spot of the kick was roughly 25 yards from the goal. He informed the Red team kicker that it was an IDK and she acknowledged him. When play resumed, player 2 from the Red team ran over the ball, tapping on top. Immediately after, player 1 kicked the ball and it went in the goal. He blew his whistle and disallowed the goal, saying the ball did not move prior to being kicked into the goal. This started a debate among coaches and fans as to whether the ball has to be touched or does it have to move on an IDK before going into the goal? I am a relatively new ref and I thought the center made the correct call. I would love to hear your opinion. Thanks!

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Brian
The referee is the sole judge of whether the ball was kicked and moves. In the US the matter is covered under 13.5 of the ATR which states that tapping the top of the ball with the foot or stepping on the ball are not sufficient to put the ball into play. So the referee was correct in this case.
In the rest of the world it is not so well defined and a referee if he detects movement of the ball can deem the ball to be in play.
I might add that obstruction is no longer part of the Laws of the Game. It is now impeding which is an IDFK and if there is contact in the foul then it is a penal foul such as holding, charging, jump at and a direct free kick restart. An IDFK for impeding is now a very rare event.

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

The ball is in play when it is kicked and moves. Kicked in the US means with a kicking or rolling motion using the foot, and moves means the ball traveled a discernible distance, even if a wee small distance - from here to there, as they say.

Who gets to decide if the ball was kicked and moved? The referee, and only the referee. This is not a place to play gotcha with teams, which some referees tend to do, but is a place for common sense. There is a whole lot less trouble going on when the ball is in play than when it is out, and unless the maneuver by the kicking team was wholly unfairly deceptive, it should not be subject to minute scrutiny. I would add here that the IFAB has made it clear that teams are allowed to do all kinds of deceptive things when taking a free kick - it takes quite a bit for it to cross the line.

Often, this particular move you described will actually put the ball into play because the player who tapped the ball used the foot in a rolling motion and the ball did more than just wiggle (wiggles stay in one place and quiver). That's all that is required.

On the other hand, the referee needs to uphold the letter of the Law, as well as the spirit, and if the referee honestly does not think the ball was properly put into play, then the restart is a goal kick for the other team. The ball would have been put into play by the second player, and since it entered the goal untouched by another player, the restart is the goal kick.

Just some food for thought...

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Yes Brian, the Referee made the correct call. 3 years ago this would have been a goal. Hopefully this was covered at your certification course but I know that some USSF instructors that should know better are still teaching a tap on the top of the ball constitutes 'kicked and moves'. Now, there must be a kicking or dragging motion and the ball must move from here to there. There are a few things you can do to ensure you stay current as to USSF guidelines. First, download a free copy of Advice To Referees at the US Soccer website and buy a print copy to carry with you to games, second, try to catch the Week In Review segment at the US Soccer website as frequently as you can, third, read the memoranda periodically also at US Soccer's website, fourth go to Jim Allen's Q&A site that carries official USSF interpretations at least twice a week, and fifth, please join us here as often as you like!!