Question Number: 30032

Law 8 - Start and Restart of Play 1/19/2016

RE: Rec Adult

Russell of Sydney, Australia asks...

I have read elsewhere that the LOTG are being updated, and that one amend will be the change to the kick off procedure where the ball will not have to be kicked forward. it can be kicked in any direct - as long as it moves.
Have you heard of this.
i'm wondering what the ruling will be if a ball is kicked directly into the kicking teams goal.
As unlikely as it would be - assuming the kicker will still need to be in their own half at the actual kick, therefore making it a pretty good effort to kick a ball into ones own net - will the restart be another kick off due to an 'own' goal awarded, or, a corner ?
Presumably a corner kick to the opposing team.

Among other changes - where an off the field offence is committed, the restart will no longer be a drop all, but a free kick taken from nearest point on the side or goal lines (possible penalty is in the penalty area).

The kick off change is a simple yet long overdue tweak. Imagine how much faster the game will be when we take one less kick to send the ball to where is so often kicked at kick offs - backwards :)

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

HI Russell,
Yup changes are coming I will wait till they are amended to comment on what they are for sure but expect some tweaks to fix a few and perhaps create one or two? lol
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Russell
We are advised that there are planned changes to the Laws coming to make them more usable in the modern game. Some time ago a Glossary was proposed by FIFA yet it now seems like a rewrite? The kick off is one such foible in the modern game which depending on the referee can be a retake or ignored as trifling should the ball be kicked even slightly backwards.
Now one of the fundamentals of the Law is that a team can not score on itself from any restart. That principle may still apply and like the other Laws may have a line that says so in Law 8.
As to some other changes muted I think the free kick for the offence off the field of play is a good one and reflects what happens in reality. In the WC in SA I distinctly remember two blatant fouls off the FOP punished by the referees with free kicks and rightly so. In Law they should have been dropped balls which is wrong in my opinion.
Another suggestion is the infamous substitute denying a goal situation which at the moment has an IDFK restart. That is suggested to change to a direct free kick or penalty kick. Some other suggestions around treatment of injuries, checking of equipment etc

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

Hi Russell,
Currently it's impossible to score an own goal from a restart - it's always a corner kick. So, while I'm only guessing, I daresay that would be the case here.
The proposal to make an offence off-the-field a free kick is a good one. One test question was always 'what do you award if a defender holds an attacker in the area enclosed by the goal line, goalpost and nets?' - while the answer is a drop ball, this never really made any sense! On the flip side, this also meant that anything off the field that would normally be considered a careless foul becomes a caution for USB. Which also doesn't make much sense and is a little unfair.
So it's good to have some of these gaps and loopholes tightened up.
After refereeing Futsal as well as outdoor, I'd be more excited to see the forward kickoff law abolished in Futsal than outdoor (assuming it does carry across)!