Question Number: 18983

Law 13 - Free Kicks 5/4/2008

RE: rec Under 11

Mike DeSue of Glassport, pa usa asks...

Can a coach ask "in-direct or direct" to a in-house referee when he/she makes a call?

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

Certainly the coach may ask. It's just that it gets very annoying. There's a not-so-secret signal that the referee uses if the kick is indirect - her arm will be vertical in the air. (No, that's not a signal for "offside", but rather a signal for the restart that follows offside - an indirect free kick.) If the referee's arm is not raised vertically, then the kick is direct. Teach your players to observe the referee, and no one will have to ask again.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Mike,
Coaches and referees could hopefully be on the same page when educating the youth about the game even in times when we agree to disagree and bite the tongue. Yes a coach could ask but NO a referee is not obligated to respond. A referee could state "Indirect free kick!" as we point and raise the arm for their benifit. Personally I prefer coaches to not be yelling out from touchlines trying to communicate with me. I personally do provide the captains with reasonable opportunity to talk if time and circumstances allow, not that they are entitled to question a decision simply an idea of communicating effective attitude and behavioural corrections channeling my thoughts through them to their team mates. A referee indicates an INDFK by pointing the direction of the kick and raises his other hand straight up held aloft as the free kick occurs and remains there until after the ball makes contact with any other player except the original kicker he drops the arm, On free kicks there are ten penal fouls fairly obvious dfks and not generally confused with indfk technical fouls or non contact infringments. That said a fouled team has a right to take a free kick quickly and the defending team best be withdrawing ten yards ASAP. The distinction of scoring directly does factor into the tactical information, essential to teach where they must stand and what they must do is a responsibility of the coach. A referee must correctly signal an indfk as I mentioned but in the cases where he awards indfks for dfk events or dfks for indfks a coach can only hope that referee is approachable or at all communicable. cheers

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

Only once, after that the coach should have sufficient memory to remember that an arm raised indicates indirect and an arm not raised indicates direct. Granted at your level of play the referees are fresh off the written test and they may not have the skills necessary to always remember to raise an arm when needed. Here the kicker can help herself by knowing the Law and which offence merits which kick. A simple read of Law 12 will educate both players and the coach[s] at the same time.

Regards,

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

You don't have to. All free kicks awarded are direct unless the referee has his/her arm raised which is the signal that the kick is indirect.

Answer provided by Referee Ben Mueller

He may ask, but a lot of referees will just ignore. They need to learn to look at the referees arm. An arm straight up means indirect. An arm down means direct. Hopefully all referees know this!