Question Number: 18751

Law 13 - Free Kicks 4/10/2008

RE: Rec, Select Under 11

Joe Griego of Bishop, CA USA asks...

Team A is fouled just outside the 18 yard box. Team A is ready to kick, but Team B has a player lingering in front of the ball to delay the kick. He is immediately told to retreat to the required 10 yards, but is clearly dawdling.

The referee decides to book him for unsporting behavior. Does the referee stop play, book the player, and then restart with a ceremonial kick? Or does he take the player aside (so as to no longer impede the kick) and allow play to restart while he's booking the player?

Assume no one on Team A has asked for a ceremonial restart.

Thanks, Joe G. Bishop, CA

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Joe,
We are advised that ONCE we as a referee are going to caution a player we have effectively intervened in such a way that is better to restart ceremonially. The reason being is if we allow play to restart that player cannot be cautioned. Plus it is reasonable to assume we are now a contributing factor in the involvement of the free kick by interfering in the circumstances. That said if we have NOT yet interfered and only are just considering to caution and the team taking the free kick does so successfully, say scores a goal a referee can decide the result is better than a retake and cautioning the opponent. Here a word in his ear that if the goal was not the result he would have been cautioned.

A referee must be VERY clear in his mechanics that by his actions he is not inferring a whistled restart. The team TAKING the free kick has every right to proceed if they so choose unless instructed NOT to by the referee or if they themselves ask the referee to intervene. It is an important distinction that we as referee MUST by law restart play. It is not a fact of law it must be a whistle but it is recomended when we are in cerimonial mode that the whistle be used to clarify the restart is in fact underway.
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

If the referee is cautioning for any reason, the restart should be held up to complete the process. The referee must talk to the player explaining the offense, record the player's information, and show the yellow card. All this takes time; play should not restart until it is complete. There is no "caution on the fly", even in the interests of saving time. The referee has the option of adding time to compensate for losses such as this.

Coach, I hope you are teaching your U11 players that they have no rights to try to interfere with a free kick! Rather, they have the responsibility to retreat 10 yards as soon as possible, without being asked.

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

This is the beginning of paragraph 13.3 of US Soccer's Advice to Referees on the Laws of the Game:

If the referee decides to delay the restart and to enforce the required minimum distance, the referee must quickly and emphatically indicate to the attackers that they may not restart play until given a clear signal to do so. Under these circumstances, an attacker who restarts play without a signal should be verbally warned and, upon repetition, be cautioned for unsporting behavior. The free kick in such cases must be retaken, regardless of the result of the original kick. An opponent who moves closer to the spot of the kick (from any direction) before it is taken must be cautioned and shown the yellow card if the referee has delayed the restart to ensure that the opponents are at the minimum distance.

The complete document is available at US Soccer's website and you should have a copy. The current edition is being revised and should be ready for publication 1 July.

Regards,

The following questions were asked as a follow up to the above question...

See Question: 18767