Question Number: 35842

Law 9 - The Ball in and out of Play 12/20/2024

RE: Adult

Michael Surtees of Edinburgh, UK asks...

When taking a free kick or corner the rule s state the ball is in play when kicked by a player and clearly moves. Is there a definition of clearly moves - must it move a distance of may the circumference of the ball or is a “wobble” sufficient?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Michael
In the distant past the Laws required that the ball had to travel its circumference to be in play. In the great rewrite of the Laws in 97 that was removed and replaced with kicked and moves. Essentially referees were unsure what a full roll of the ball was and once it moved that was good enough for many. So the circumference condition was for many meaningless hence its removal.

In recent years with trick plays and tap restarts where there was a doubt about the ball being in play, IFAB changed the wording to kicked and CLEARLY moves to try to tidy that up.
It is up to the referee to decide if the ball CLEARLY moves at a restart and there is no definition.
Golf players know that moves means that the ball has left the spot it was located on to a new location so a wobble is not moved
Golf also has a good way of looking at it in that it has to be *known or virtually certain* that the ball has moved.

So it is left to each referee to decide. For me a tap of the ball on top does not move the ball. Does it make a difference? It does if the opponents and referee has not seen the ball move and it has an impact on play such as at an indirect free kick or a corner kick. Less so of a big deal now at a kick off as most players will react to the 2nd movement of the ball and a goal can be scored directly anyway.
If there is doubt a referee should ask for the kick to be retaken and remove the uncertainty.

Have a look at this video
Would a tap have averted this debacle
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=46pnEQXfIu8

Second video and the first goal from the free kick.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gUE_tC8Kd9s

No doubt it was in play with no complaints.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

HI Michael,
Merry Christmas
As my colleague has stated the old LOTG used to require a distance now we just need to acknowledge it.

On INDFK we often see a toe or sole tap by the one player as another team mate kicks the ball thus fulfilling the 2 touch requirement to score. Technically I agree, a wobble or a compression is not truly a clear rolling moment. Yet if upon the touch, the defenders break forward to close the distance and given both teams are ok with it I rarely worry to intervene.

I also do not like a foot resting on the ball in repositioning then taking it away claiming it was kicked. You can kick the ball with any part of the foot but I need to see CLEAR separation and movement of the ball moving away from that contact point!

Often a player use his sole to to roll the ball from point A to point B then remove his foot but the ball stays still. For me this is not a CLEARLY kick and movement. If I am not CLEARLY satisfied I could warn & retake but if blatant as a double touch the INDFK for the opposition tends to stop the silliness!

It becomes more of a concern when teams try to get cute by surrounding the ball so the opposition can not see it well or pretend to position it but get a bit of roll then have someone come and dribble it away. This corner ruse is often tried. I rarely allow it unless 4 things occur!

The 1st is, they do not come to me and say we are using this as a tactic!
If they tell me I tell the other team that this tactics in play

The 2nd is I need to be paying attention and witness it in a matter of fact way, because I often WHISTLE in corners due to the BS in front of goal .

#3 no deception of Coach saying let Mike take it when John has already put into play

#4 no complaints if you monkey around and a defender crashes the party and you claim it was not taken I have no sympathy.
Cheers