Question Number: 30000

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 12/15/2015

RE: Competitive Under 16

Aaron Speca of Virginia Beach, Virginia United States asks...

I don't always bring up calls (or non-calls) that might be wrong! Actually, most of the time a call I think was wrong, I realize watching the replay was correct. I wanted to post this one because I thought it was interesting.

In the first clip, I was confused as to why the CR blew the play dead, until I watched the tape and realized that the orange player indeed played the ball back to her keeper with her foot. At full speed, I completely missed it - I had thought the ball came off the blue player.

The second part is the resulting IFK. I thought it was odd that neither the kicker nor the keeper seemed to realize it was indirect. As it turned out, it was a goal because the keeper got a tiny piece of the shot (it's about impossible to see in the replay). At this level, I suppose it is expected that the players should realize the kick is indirect, and the CR did have his arm straight up in the air to indicate that. Does a CR actually make a verbal statement whether a kick is direct or indirect? I can never hear from where I am whether he ever says anything.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojACsgHBalE

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

The ref shouldn't need to verbally say whether a kick is indirect - players should learn to watch the ref's arm. (We could argue the merits of the call - it looked iffy to me - but it did meet the old "three-leg-stool" test of the USSF.)

I had a game a long time ago in a tournament where I called an indirect kick. It was off to the side of the penalty area. All the players moved away as if it was a penalty kick. I put my arm up, and probably even said, 'Indirect.' Then the kicker blasted it toward the goal. Goalie tried to stop it but just got a touch. That was the only goal of the game.

Afterwards the coach was adamant that I should have told the girls how to defend against the kick. I needed to teach it to them. I wanted to say, but didn't, 'Uh coach, whose job is that?' If the girls don't know how to play, why did the team enter the tournament?

Happy Question #30000. Onward!

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Aaron,
congrats on posting consecutive questions as you are #30000 lol
This was a great video, it allows us a teaching moment to explain the action seen is not a predetermined foul in as much as it speaks to the opinion of the referee that it only might be! The Foul, commonly refereed to as a pass back has a strict two part interpretation that
(1) the ball was deliberately kicked by a team mate (which indeed it was)
(2) TO the keeper. (Was it really?)
Although the ball was directed towards the keeper there is a compelling practicality to see this as a ball simply played away from an opponent that happened to go in the keeper's direction.
However, whether that foul needed to be called or was doubtful in nature the fact it was awarded, is the decision of the match referee. When the referee awards an infringement restarted with an INDFK , according to the LOTG, he MUST raise the right arm straight up! To say so publically is not mandatory but there is NO harm in stating it verbally for easy comprehension. Any intelligent player or coach should realize the ONLY DFK that can occur for an attacking team inside the oppositions penalty area is a PK . In my opinion, there were too many orange players in close proximity and the keeper did appear to jump off the goal line early to decrease the angle. The ten yards (in all direction) must still be respected except of course if the defending players are lined up ON the goal line under the crossbar, they can be as close as 6 yds. If within the ten yards defenders/keeper can not close the kick down prior to it being put into play. There was reason to retake if the kick was saved. It was too bad the keeper had to fulfill the 2nd touch requirement as a goal can not be scored directly off an indfk restart, to allow it would be a reason for protest!
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Aaron
There is no requirement for the referee to verbalize the call. The raised arm is the signal that it is indirect. Is it good practise to do so? IMO yes and telling the players that it is indirect is helpful both ways. I would always say indirect.
Now inside the penalty area anyone with any knowledge of the game will know that a direct free kick inside the penalty area has to be a penalty kick. It is clear that both sides did not know!! Had the goalkeeper let the ball go which she should have then it was a goal kick which then is an issue for the Blue team. Knowing the Laws is a vital part of any game and using the law to ones advantage is good game craft. If Blues knew the Law there should have been a second player at the ball to kick it short for the kicker to shoot at goal.
Anyway from what I seen here both side accepted the IDFK call and both sides accepted the goal.