Question Number: 14829

Mechanics 2/11/2007

RE: Select Under 16

Dave Eberle of Clarkston, WA USA asks...

Advantage and the 10 yard rule for Quick Free Kicks.

In the book, For the Good Of The Game, Robert Evans and Edward Bellion promote the concept of applying the advantage clause for quick free kicks.

They recommend that a kick should be retaken if the ball strikes a retreating opponent who is less than 10 yards from the kick, since advantage did not materialize.

Do you also recommend applying the advantage clause in this situation?

Thank you for promoting better soccer throughout the world!

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Dave ,

Robert Evans and Edward Bellion have written a great referee book but as in all opinions not every thought is in complete harmony with FIFA or the way others think on certain aspects of the law.
Advantage is a great concept but often too liberally applied or too restricted in its use.

I disagree with these two esteemed colleagues if the free kick is lost through a lack of skill not the fault of a retreating defender trying to respect the ten yards as required in law. There is NO advantage to be considered!

LAW 5 The Referee allows play to continue when the team against which an offence has been committed will benefit from such an advantage and penalises the original offence if the anticipated advantage does not ensue at that time;

8.
A free kick is awarded the player decides to take the kick quickly.
An opponent who is less than 9.15 m. from the ball intercepts it. What action does the referee take?
He allows play to continue.

9.
A free kick is awarded the player decides to take the kick quickly.
An opponent who is near the ball deliberately prevents him taking the kick. What action does the referee take?
The player is cautioned and shown a yellow card for delaying the
restart of play.

The difference is in the ACTIONS of the opposition.
If the opponents move towards, stop in front of the ball or attempt to step into the path or block the attempt to put the ball into play quickly they are in fact guilty of delaying the restart before the ball is kicked and or possibly quilty of failing to respect the ten yards .

If no advantage materialises we retake and should caution. These players could be cautioned later and advantage considered if the deflection of the ball off the opponent went favourably, as in a deflected goal or good attacking play was immediately presented. Only if the whistle sounded prior to the kick to punish the misconduct must we caution and retake, no advantage is possible.

We must remember although it stipulates 10 yards it takes a few moments to withdraw and we can hardly fault a retreating defender that takes a ball in the middle of his back from 5 yards because the impatient kicker tried to get in a quick one?
The impatient kicker has a RIGHT to tactically put the ball into play but if he miskicks the ball into a retreating defender who was making an attempt to respect the laws is retaking any different then an advantage applied where a ball settles in front of a player with a wide open goal and he skies it over the crossbar from 6 feet, seen it done was pretty impressive if heart breaking, then we say well we will give you another chance?!

The advantage in allowing the restart quickly is not truly an application of advantage as the FOUL HAS been awarded and a FREE kick HAS been given because no advantage was in the offering.
Once the kick is initiated, if the opponents not yet 10 yards away were responsible for flaunting the restart as it is their fault I can apply advantage if that ball deflects off a defender's foot or head who moved towards the kicker and attempted to stop the restart.

Lets say the deflection off the foot or head deflected into a goal? I apply the advantage as a goal is better than he prospect of the restart. As there was MISCONDUCT in the attempt to TRY and stop the restart I can still caution and show the yellow card if I need too !

Now think the same idea only the ball hits a retreating defender on the back of the head or foot clipping off and deflecting into the goal. There was no misconduct, there is no advantage as there is no infringment yet we have a good goal!

Law 13:
If, when a free kick is taken, an opponent is closer to the ball than the required distance:
the kick is retaken
This allows a referee to consider whether the conditions of the restart were fair and if we allow a free kick to occur with opponents closer than ten we do not need to quess if we want to retake who was at fault! Any restart has conditions that if we go by letter of law we can choose to retake and not consider any infringment as trivial or doubtful. While failure to respect the ten and delaying a restart are cautionable acts it is not manditory we MUST show a yellow. We can use our discrestion and percieve the need to act on what we truly see!
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

No. If the opponents are retreating and the attackers want a quick free kick, they forfeit their right to the 10 yards. This concept has been dealt with at US Soccer's official website numerous times as well as by IFAB and I don't see how the venerable Mr. Evans justifies a retake if the opponents are behaving as required. You as a referee do not want to do anything to disadvantage the team taking the kick and you don't allow the opponents to do this either but I cannot fathom why these authors would punish the defenders for acting as they're required to. LOTG state the kick is retaken but both ATR and IFAB are clear that if the kicking team takes a free kick, they forfeit their right to the 10 yards.

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

Dr. Evans also says any player moving towards the ball inside ten yards should go in the book.

Law 13 states: If, when a free kick is taken, an opponent is closer to the ball than the required distance:

the kick is retaken.

So what we recommend or what a national association's policy states can be nothing other than as stated in the Laws of the Game. You are correct if you do as Dr. Evans and Dr. Bellion state. It is wise to remember that they write for referees at the VERY highest levels of The Game and this is their opinion not a National policy. Below that level things are different and players are not as sophisticated so bad things happen faster when the referee does something unexpected. If you are going to do this DON'T pull it out of the blue, work up to it and then they will understand.

Regards,

Answer provided by Referee MrRef

Dave, I'm still waiting for a note from the Authors you mentioned. Will post it here when received.