Question Number: 27503

Law 13 - Free Kicks 6/3/2013

RE: Adult

Terry of Port Louis, Mauritius asks...

what is the correct procedure to take an indirect free kick??

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Terry
An indirect free kick is the same as any other free kick except a that a goal cannot be scored directly from such a kick. All other requirements are the same
# The ball must be stationary
# All opponents must be 10 yards from the ball.
# The ball is in play when it is kicked and moved
# The kicker cannot touch the ball again until it has touched another player.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

You are probably thinking of a common technique you see, where the first player pokes the ball so it moves a short way, and then the second player blasts it. This is generally done in hopes of scoring a goal (because the first kick can't score directly), but it is not a requirement of taking an indirect free kick.

It should be noted that simply tapping the ball by the first player is not sufficient; the ball must move.

When IFK's are given in non-goal-scoring situations, such as following an offside call, you usually don't see the two-person restart.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Of course, the referee is to hold his arm up straight in the air indicating the kick is indirect. The arm should stay up until the ball has been touched by a second player. The arm then drops which is a signal that a goal may now be legally scored.

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

See Question: 27539

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