Question Number: 30351

Law 13 - Free Kicks 4/26/2016

RE: rec Under 10

mary Ramirez-de-Arellano of Damascus, MD United States asks...

This question is a follow up to question 30342

On an indirect free kick one player simply tapped the top of the ball with his toe and then his teammate kicked it. Is this considered an acceptable indirect free kick or does the ball have to move/move its full circumference before the second player can touch it to complete the indirect free kick? I didn't think too much about the propriety of this action I have seen it so often until later on in the afternoon the OPPONENT of the team taking the kick ran in and kicked the ball immediately after the player toe tapped the ball ( before the player on the team given the indirect free kick could then kick it.) What is the rule? Thank you!

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

Hi Mary,

The ball hasn't had to move the circumference for quite a long time - at a guess, since the late 1990s. It is in play when it is kicked and moves. Some referees argue it must roll, many accept that wobbling on the spot is enough.
If the first touch does not make the ball move, then it doesn't count - in your case, the second player is the one who put the ball into play, so it's still 'indirect' at that point. If the first touch did actually make the ball move, then it's in play and can be challenged. If the first touch did not make the ball move, then the opponents cannot run in.
But at this young age, the referee should be managing the situation without using cards, given it's just misunderstanding by some enthusiastic players.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Mary
In the great rewrite of the Laws in 1997 the requirement for the ball to travel its circumference at a resart was removed and replaced with the word moved. Now we have seen all sorts of kicks from minor toe pokes, taps, minor foot rolls as restarts. Many times referees allow them as it is not questioned such as a kick off etc.
At an IDFK the defending team need to have a visible signal that the ball is in fact in play with a kick. From my perspective if the ball is kicked and moves appreciably then it is in play.
IFAB from the 1st June will amend the law and add the word CLEARLY to moves. If defenders sees contact on the ball and it moves in the act of putting it in play with them rushing the ball then that is good enough for me. Some players use the foot to position the ball at a restart. The referee and opponents need to know the clear actions of a kick that puts the ball in play.