Question Number: 16432

Law 13 - Free Kicks 8/26/2007

RE: under 14 competition Under 15

mark worthington of sydney, nsw australia asks...

I was taught 20+ years ago, that for a start of play the ball must travel one circumference forward before being touched by another player. Similarly I thought that for an indirect free kick that the ball must travel one full circumference in any direction before being able to be touched by a team mate. Is the one circumference rule still in effect?

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

20+ years ago you were taught correctly. A decade ago, the full circumference rule went away. Now the ball is in play when it is simply kicked and moved. Kicked means using the foot in a kicking motion. Moved means "from here to there", some discernable change in location, not just a wiggle from tapping the top of the ball.

Answer provided by Referee Ben Mueller

Nope. It is in play when it is kicked and moved. Mr. Voshol describes what kicked and moves means well. Basically the ball must be kicked by the foot (not stomped on or dragged) and must move from one location to another location.

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

Hi, Mark. Too many referees didn't know how far the full circumference was, so FIFA decided to try and make it easier to tell when a restart was properly taken. Thus, the kicked and moved requirement of today, which is so much easier to police. Cheers.

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

Mark the difficulties brought on by this simple change in the Law -- kicked and moved the distance of its circumference to kicked and moved have been way beyond what was hoped when the IFAB tried to simplify things in 1997.

In America the national organisation has changed its mind on three occasions about what constitutes kicked and what constitutes moved. For a while it was moved with the foot then it was tapped and wiggled. Now it is kicked from here to there with a kicking motion. The policy writers have even used the German word:

"Fingerspitzengef?hl" (literally: ?sensing with one?s fingertips?).

In an attempt to help referees understand what kicked and moves means. Sometimes progress is a wonderful thing, other times progress is a wonder...

Regards,