Question Number: 15897

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 6/27/2007

RE: Under 16

Kyle Kenney of Kingston, Canada asks...

So I was lining this rep U14 game last week, and on a corner kick, the defender & attacker were nowhere near the ball, but the defender pushes the attacker vigurously in the box. The ref gave the defender a yellow card, but gave the attacker an IDFK in the penalty box?
Was that a good call?

Is it true.. you can give an indirect free kick in the penalty box?

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

You can give an indirect free kick in the penalty area. But you can't give an indirect kick for a push - that's one of the penal fouls. It should have been a penalty kick. If the ref didn't think the offense was worthy of a PK, then he shouldn't have called it at all.

The IFK restart for misconduct is when the misconduct does not involve any foul - for example, for dissent (yellow) or for offensive, insulting or abusive language (red).

You do not note whether the ball had been put into play from the corner kick. If the shove happens before the corner kick, it is just misconduct and the ref would evaluate whether it needed to be a caution or send-off. But in that case, the restart would remain a corner kick.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Kyle, my colleague is spot on.
The push can not be an INDFK it can ONLY be a DFK and thus a PK if the ball was put into play on the corner kick before the push. .

If the push occurs before the corner kick the action is certainly cautionable as misconduct but the restart must still be a corner kick.

It appears the referee considered the action as misconduct perhaps he thought the INDFK restart for misconduct somehow changes the corner kick restart forgetting that if a ball is not yet in play the restart can not be changed.

Impeding or PIADM are indfk offences but they do not involve heavy physical contact although marginal contact might be overlooked or thought of as trivial or doubtful.
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Kyle, think about what you ask. Why couldn't you give an IDFK inside the penalty area? The only time you'd award a penalty kick is if one of the 10 penal fouls occurred. Any other foul is an IDFK and if play is stopped for misconduct on the field by a player against an opponent the restart is also an IDFK. BUT.... this took place if I understand you corretly BEFORE the corner was taken. In this case, the restart should be the corner kick. If I misunderstand you then the referee has made a mistake of worse proportions in that you cannot award an IDFK for a push, which is one of the 10 penal fouls. In this case, should have been a penalty kick since the push was by a defender inside his own penalty area.

Answer provided by Referee Steve Montanino

I don't know what occurred before the push but assuming the ball was in play- play may have been stopped to deal with an offense that was committed prior to the push. The push would have required a DFK (in this case a PK) but if an IFK offense had already happened, and play was stopped that restart cannot be changed.