Question Number: 26871

Law 13 - Free Kicks 10/2/2012

RE: Competitive High School

Bryan Whitworth of Tipp City, OH USA asks...

My son is taking a direct free kick, he asks for the wall to be 10 yards away. As the referee is marching out the 10 yards, an opponent moves to within 3 yds of the ball at the side interferring with his run up. My son stops his run up and asks the referee to move him 10 yards away. Referees decision - yellow card the freekick taker for time wasting and told him the player at the side does not have to be 10 yards away, only those forming the wall behind the ball - has to be 100% wrong ????

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Bryan
All opponents must be ten yards from the ball in any direction so the referee should have asked for the player to move away from the ball.
I suspect though what happened here was that the referee was probably of the view that the opponent was not 'interfering' as your son commenced his run up to take the free kick and then at the last moment decided for whatever reason to ask for the player to be moved. Perhaps if your son asked for the opponent to be moved before the run up commenced that it may have had a different outcome.
Anyway the referee was incorrect in his assertion that the 10 yard rule only applies to those players in the defensive wall. Sure on an IDFK would a referee allow an opponent to stand 3 yards behind the ball? Of course not

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

The 10 yards is measured in all directions from the ball. While not as strictly enforced against opponents behind the kicker, that is because they are not interfering with the kick.

Please contact the local chapter in charge of assigning this referee and explain what you were told so the referee can be better informed in future games.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Yup. 100% wrong. The referee cautioned the KICKER???? Ouch!!!
couldn't get more wrong if he tried

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

See Question: 26894