Question Number: 27381

Law 13 - Free Kicks 5/1/2013

RE: Comp Under 16

Luis of Rocklin, CA USA asks...

Scenario:
A team is awarded a free kick and the ref tells the player who is going to take the free kick, 'on my whistle.' While the referee turns to face the wall, he notices that the other team is closer than the 10 yards, so he blows his whistle to get their attention to back up. Meanwhile the kicker understands the whistle to be the signal and he takes the kick (which goes over the goal and out of bounds). The ref then blows the whistle (I think dissent)on the kicker and awards an indirect kick to the other team.

Question: was that the proper restart? Or, since the ball was never in play according to the ref's whistle, does the kicker get the kick again (maybe even receive a yellow card), or would it be a goal kick?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Luis
As described this would be very poor mechanics by the referee. If he indicated that the restart was on the whistle then he should not have used the whistle until the kick was ready to be taken. The fact that he has used the whistle is an indication that the kick can be taken.
So in this scenario the proper restart is that the referee should have set up the free kick again and told the players that he was not ready for the original kick.
Now let's say that the kicker took the free kick without a whistle. The referee could caution the kicker for unsporting behaviour and the kick is retaken in all circumstances. It is never a turnover of the ball or an IDFK as the ball is not in play until the referee gives the signal that it can be kicked.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

Oh dear.

If a kicker fails to comply with the referee's instruction to 'wait for the whistle', the kick should be retaken. While it may seem unfair to give the kicker two bites at the whistle - they only get one bite. The first kick doesn't count, whether it scores or not.

Doing something bad when the ball is out of play never changes the restart.

A long time ago, some referees might have ignored the infringement and called for a goal kick if the kick sailed over the goal and a retake if the kick went into the goal. Problems occur, however, when the referee's message is not clear. If the visiting team doesn't wait for the whistle, and a goal kick is allowed; and then the visiting team doesn't wait for the whistle, and a goal kick is allowed, and then the home team doesn't wait for the whistle and a goal is scored, the home team will never see the justice in ordering the kick retaken. The referee's prior conduct allowed the other team to take the kick (twice) without waiting for the whistle. It is better to be consistent - - always order the kick retaken.

Finally, the better mechanics for the referee is not to interupt the attacking team's desire for a quick free kick unless there is a strong reason to do so (such as issuing a caution). The referee appears to have been too quick to require the kicker to wait for the whistle.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

EXTREMELY poor mechanics by this referee and he compounded his poor mechanics by punishing the kicker for doing exactly what he told him to do. Regardless of the outcome of the kick, it should be retaken as the referee did not intend to restart play. My guess is at this level of play, the referee believed the kicker should have known not to take the kick while the referee was moving the wall and had his back turned to the kicker. While that may be true, the referee caused this problem not the kicker and the kick should be retaken