Question Number: 16430

Law 13 - Free Kicks 8/25/2007

RE: competive Adult

brad paton of hamilton, Ontario canada asks...

re. free kicks and giving 10 yards.
If the player taking the free kick does not ask for ten yards he is able to take the kick at any time and no waiting for a whistle. if the ref counts out the 10 yards because the shooter requests it ..the player must wait for the whistle before the kick can be taken (also allows the goalie to set up his wall)...All this I know
question.. when the shooter doesn't ask for 10 it is considered encrotchment if not 10 yards away and re-taken.
I was under the assumption that if you choose to take the free kick quickly and players are with in the 10 yard buffer it was your choice to kick it or ask for 10. If it hits a player 5 yards away was it not the shotters choice to take it or ask for the ten. why should he get to take it again and give the defense a yellow for not giving it?? am i to assume players are obliged to give 10 right away regardless if requested or not??
not really fair for the defense as the goalie can never set up his wall as the ball can be kicked at any moment.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

It is a recommended procedure that a referee will ceremonially restart with a whistle if he is requested by the aggrieved team to allow a defending wall to allow for a set play to take place.

I have warned teams that repeatedly try my patience with failing to withdraw effectively, move it or face the consequences. I have allowed restarts without whistles as long as I have NOT purposefully pointed to my whistle and TOLD the kicker,
"WAIT for the whistle!"
It is still our discretion to allow a FREE kick to go ahead!

We have deliberated much on this site on free kick issues.
The right to have a free kick taken quickly must concede that insufficient time could be true to achieve a ten yard distance by the defenders.

HOWEVER, the defenders must be in that process of withdrawing not creeping slowly about to delay take up passing lanes or generally lollygagging about and stopping just because they can see a free kick occurring or about to occur
I maintain that until the very moment a free kick actually kicks a ball into discernable motion all defenders must be at least ten yards away or in the PROCESS of doing so by moving AWAY from the ball.

Once a ball is KICKED into play no ten yard restrictions apply that ball is free to be played by any opponent. The key is no forward or stop motion within ten yards by defenders can occur prior to this act!

Remember these defenders have NO, None, Nada, Zilch, Zero rights on any free kick to set a wall! ONLY if a referee PUBLIC ALLY,
acknowledges he WILL whistle play in due to a request by the attacking team could a keeper rely on a whistle to be ready!

If the kicker kicks a ball at a retreating player you are correct,
no foul, no card, play on!

But always consider was that defender there as a result of insufficient time or of choice?
Note there are always options

Law 13 allows us to retake with no caution if there are opponents within ten yards.
We are also instructed that if defenders delay the restart or fail to respect the ten yards we can caution, show yellow and still retake through law 12.
If we believe the FREE kick was in fact *free* but poorly taken and lost. we can legitimately ignore either law proviso!
If there was infringement but it was trivial or doubtful and advantageous to allow play we can chose to do so as well
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

If the player taking a quick free kick boots it directly toward an opponent, that's a gift, regardless of the distance the opponent was from the spot of the kick.

If an opponent within 10 yards moves to intercept a quick kick, that's a different matter. The free kick is retaken, and the opponent is liable for a caution - he certainly should be cautioned if this was a repeat occurrance. Moving to intercept can be as little as sticking out a leg to deflect the ball as it goes past.

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

Brad, first of all, let me disabuse you of the notion which generated this question: "am i to assume players are obliged to give 10 right away regardless if requested or not?? " YES. You are to assume, and in fact it is the Law, that all defenders must give 10 yards without being asked, directed, cajoled or otherwise punished into doing so. The defending team has NO right to set a wall - it was after all, your team's fault that the kick is given in the first place, right? So, why should the Laws of the Game and FIFA allow the guilty party any redress? I would remind you that when it is your team that gets the kick, you want the right to a FREE kick, yes? That means free from the interference of the defense that committed the offense. If a kicker wishes to take a quick kick, they have every right to do so, assuming the referee doesn't need to stop everything to issue a card. If an opponent is within that 10 yards free from interference zone, he had better not make ANY play for that kicked ball. Simply moving toward the ball is enough for the whistle to blow and the kick to be retaken, and most likely a yellow to get the interferer's attention. Now - if the kicker takes a quick kick and that misdirected kick goes directly to a defender who is trying to retire the 10 yards and who makes no motion toward the ball, he can accept the gift. But it has to meet those criteria. So, to sum up, attacking team does not have to request 10 yards, defenders must give 10 yards, and may not interfere with the kick within that ten yards if the kick is taken quickly. Capice?