Question Number: 28712

Law 17 - Corner Kick 9/8/2014

RE: Rec Under 11

Jay LaFountain of Coldwater, MI USA asks...

I had a conversation about a corner kick with the center referee that set off alarm bells for me on LOTG.

He suggested that a corner kick could need to be retaken if it is set at the very edge of the arc so that it is barely in play and then went directly out of play, say over the goal line.

I said that since the ball is in play when it is kicked and moves, that there is no way for this to happen, but he maintained that the ball could be set in such a way that the kick could put the ball out of play before it went into play. I thought that since the ball had to be in the arc, therefore on the field, it would have to have been kicked and moved prior to leaving the field of play.

I had ruled it a goal kick as the AR and he had gone with my ruling, we were talking about it afterwards - in this case the ball was set such that it would have 'moved' prior to going out of play anyway, but the conversation it sparked interested me. What does the panel think? Is there a placement for a corner kick that allows the ball to be kicked and move but never enter play, and therefore require a rekick instead of a goal kick?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Jay
The ball has to be set in play on the arc for the kick to be retaken. It is not possible to place the ball out of play in the arc. If this is done it is a retake.
If after the kick is taken all of the ball then leaves the field of play over all of the goal line it is out of play and the restart is a goal kick. Generally in these situations the ball swerves out of play and back in. The AR has to determine if all of the ball crossed all of the goal line.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Jay,
The referee you are talking to is completely incorrect! Needs to go to school again me thinks
One of the easiest ways to explain the significance of the touchlines and goal lines is to envision them as a 5 inch wall of water extending straight up into the sky. If ANY part of the ball is wet then the ball is inside the field of play . When the ball is fully outside the field of play it will be COMPLETELY DRY! If the ball is completely Dry, then it is not touching the arc in any manner, it is not a legal restart as it is completely outside the field of play. It could be classified as a time wasting delaying the restart and caution show a yellow card or at the very least retaken and a quit messing around talk is on the table. The AR must ensure a portion of the ball is in fact a wee bit wet if not moved completely into the area of the arc so it is easily seen as inside the field. Then if it is kicked out it will be a goal kick if over the goal line or a throw-in over the touchline for the opposition. An AR could easily ensure the restart at a corner is always done correctly with minimum difficulty!
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

Hi Jay,

Even if the ball is placed 99% out of play (say, within the arc but 99% over the goal line) and is kicked straight out, then there's still that 1% that is still above the line the moment the ball is kicked, so still in play. No matter how little of the ball is on the field, the moment it's kicked some of it is still on the field before going out.

It's impossible for the ball to be placed in the manner your colleague describes. You may not clearly be able to see the moment between being kicked and the ball leaving the field, but it's there.