Question Number: 19615

Law 13 - Free Kicks 7/16/2008

Kyle Kenny of , Canada asks...

A defending player stands in front of an attacker who is about to take a free kick..

I ask him to back up.. and he does.

But repeatedly on alot of free kicks the same guy walks up right infront of the ball and waits for my que for him to back up.

Is this player delaying the restart of the game? Or is it apart of the game and a good strategy?

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Yes that player is delaying the restart as well as failing to respect the 10 yard distance he is obligated to withdraw to. 10 yards now! might be spoken once even twice as a warning but if you caution those who do as you indicate they will not be doing that much at all!
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Kyle, if you are a referee you KNOW that the players on the team that committed the foul are REQUIRED to give 10 yards and they are to do so immediately and without your asking them to. They committed the foul. They have no rights and it is an unfortunate myth that the referee has to tell them to back up. What this player did in your example further disadvantaged the fouled team from taking a quick kick if they wished. Anytime a player does what you describe you should caution him and show him the yellow card. You were nice enough to tell him the first time not to do it. After the second time there is no excuse for you not to caution him. Whenever I see this obvious tactic by the fouled team, I caution immediately which ends any further problem. My advice to you would likewise be to caution the very first time this happens. It's a great tactic for the fouled team if the referee allows them to get away with it. Don't you let them in the future.

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

SOME TECHNIQUES TO CREATE DELAYS AT FREE KICKS

1. Referee is setting the wall, and while he is doing so, another defender walks towards the ball. Referee does not keep his eye on the area around the ball, and so does nothing. [Should be only one warning, then a caution]

2. The wall is set, but just as the referee is about to blow his whistle, a player from the defending side walks or slowly jogs from midfield right past the ball to join his other defenders. He effectively interrupts the taking of the kick. [Should be only one warning, then a caution]

3. A defender picks up the ball after the whistle and walks away with it, finally tossing it to the referee, or to the area of the kick. LA do this a lot. Referee needs to see this early and shout for the ball, with a warning. [At least a chewing-out, then a caution]

4. After the whistle, a defender dribbles the ball a short distance away and then leaves it for his opponents to retrieve. Referee needs to react as in number 3.

5. Referee is at the site of the free kick, and a defender comes to him to argue the decision, thereby delaying the kick. A variation is for the player to bring the ball and hand it to the referee, but the effect is the same - delay. [At least a chewing-out to drive him away, then a caution]

6. Player who did the foul stays down at the site of the free kick, but gets up once enough defenders are back and there has been a delay.
[A chewing-out for feigning injury, or in an important tactical situation, a caution]

Basic points:

1. Referees have to be proactive, not just wait for the wall to form.

2. Referees have to look around the ball, as well as at the wall.

3. Referee has to see the attempts at delay early in the process and jump on it to make it clear what his attitude is about attempted delays. Too many referees are simply accepting the delays. They are not 'enforcing the laws'.

4. The warning given to one player is given loudly so that the whole team knows what you are about. After that, a caution to the next one.

Regards,

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

When a player moves from a long distance to a short distance near the site of a free kick, that player will be seeing a yellow card from me. Maybe, just maybe, if I'm feeling incredibly generous and maybe if the players are younger or in the rec league, I'll give one warning. But that's it. Players should know that they are REQUIRED to be AT LEAST 10 yards from the site of the free kick - whether the kicking team asks for the distance to be enforced or not.

Answer provided by Referee Ben Mueller

Yes he is and also persistent infringement. I would caution after the first verbal warning. If he is stepping in front of ball, that deserves a caution.