Question Number: 20606

Law 13 - Free Kicks 11/29/2008

RE: General

Josh Boylan of Burlington, VT USA asks...

USSF and FIFA are clear that for a touch of the ball to be valid, whether on an IDK, corner, etc, it must be done with a clear kicking motion. Enaware of this, most players believe a simple tap on top of the ball should suffice.

If the ball is tapped and then shot, the decision is simple: no goal until touched again, and we have no problems.

However, when the ball is tapped and then kicked, defenders frequently assume it is live too early, and charge the ball before the second (proper) touch has occurred. If the shot hits one of these charging defenders, it is certainly encroachment, which would necessitate a caution to the encroaching defender. However, he is almost certainly acting in good faith, believing the ball live, and a caution seems rather harsh, but can a rekick for encroachment without a caution be appropriate?

Likewise, the attacker could be cautioned for 'enticing' the defender into a cautionable offense, but again, they are almost certainly acting in good faith.

So, is a thorough explanation of the law, followed by a rekick without any sanctions, how this can and should be handled? Is waving 'play-on' a possibility, judging the player's mutual ignorance 'trifling?' Can/should advantage be applied?

Answer provided by Referee Debbie Hoelscher

Hi Josh,
There is no caution for 'enticing' an opponent. There is the cautionable offense of Unsporting Behavior, under which enticing would fall as bringing the game into disrepute. If the defending team believes, because of the action of the kicker, that the ball has been put into play it is highly likely that the referee would also be of the opinion that the ball has been put into play. The defending team is acting under the reasonable presumption that the ball is "live". The whole idea behind penalizing encroachment is to stop the defending team, who has just been penalized for cheating, from continuing to cheat by not giving to their opponents the appropriate distance. However, that does not mean that kicking team can take more of the defending team's punishment than allotted. By the kicker's own actions, he has decided to make his opponents believe that the ball is in play. Then referee, allow it to be in play and penalize the kicker for touching the ball again before it has been touched by another player. No cautions should be necessary, as you can simply tell the kicker not to be so careless with how he puts the ball into play next time. If the kicker or kicking team protests too much, you can give a caution for dissent. The needs of the game have been served. Personally, I wouldn't waste my breath with a thorough explaination. The sooner you get the ball back into play, the faster the stop talking and race after the ball.

There is NO ADVANTAGE here. The giving of advantage is the acknowledgement to the world that a foul has been committed; and that allowing play to continue is a greater penalty against the team committing the foul than stopping play. Advantage has NOTHING to do with simply wanting to keep play going. If the offense is trifling, then we are directed NOT to stop play. However, that is NOT advantage. Advantage is giving the offended team their best opportunity to do their worst against the team that has fouled them. Advantage should NEVER be applied for any other reason.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

Teams make false starts all the time to throw off their opponents. The first player to run toward the ball may step over it entirely. A kicker may make a feint or a juke move. Except at a penalty kick, the kicker may stop-n-start, go past the ball and come back, fake a kick, any number of things. There is nothing unsporting in any of those activities; they are a normal part of play.

That said, the referee is the one who determines when the ball is in play. It is her opinion and no one else's. Advice to Referees 15.3 has some very good information. Note the bits about tapping is not kicking, the difference between a touch that is repositioning the ball and one that puts it into play, and about the opponents being confused.

[quote]
13.5 BALL IN PLAY
The ball is in play (able to be played by an attacker other than the kicker or by an opponent) when it has been kicked and moved. The distance to be moved is minimal and the 'kick' need only be a touch of the ball with the foot in a kicking motion. Simply tapping the top of the ball with the foot or stepping on the ball are not sufficient.

When the restart of play is based on the ball being kicked and moved, the referee must ensure that the ball is indeed kicked (touched with the foot in a kicking motion) and moved (caused to go from one place to another). Being 'kicked' does not, for example, include an action in which the ball is dragged by continuous contact with the foot. Being 'moved' does not, for example, include the ball simply quivering, trembling, or shaking as a result of light contact. The referee must make the final decision on what is and is not 'kicked and moved' based on the spirit and flow of the match. In all events, the ball must be put into play properly.

The referee must judge carefully whether any particular kick of the ball and subsequent movement was indeed reasonably taken with the intention of putting the ball into play rather than with the intention merely to position the ball for the restart. If the ball is just being repositioned (even if the foot is used to do this), play has not been restarted. Likewise, referees should not unfairly punish for 'failing to respect the required distance' when an opponent was clearly confused by a touch and movement of the ball which was not a restart.

The referee must make the final decision on what is a 'kick' and what is 'not a kick' based on his or her feeling for the game-what FIFA calls 'Fingerspitzengef?hl' (literally: "sensing with one's fingertips"). The bottom line is that not everything that produces movement of the ball is a kick and thus would not legally put the ball into play in any of the kicking restarts.
[end quote]

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Both excellent answers to your question. You don't say what age group you are referring to. Since I now referee much younger players than in the past, I have a brief pregame with them. Tapping the ball with the bottom of the foot not constituting movement is one of the things I go over. With older players you still might want to make clear this tapping does not constitute kicked and moved.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

I agree with your observations. A defending team attacks the ball the moment the foot makes contact and the team taking that kick will certainly not take exception as they too are convinced it was put into play so who is the referee to argue that point. No one says the ball has to be kicked hard just discernably moved from here to there in a foot to ball motion without the foot remaining in contact with the ball. While we must be wary of cutsey toetap here you take it trickery rarely is there a need to intervne if BOTH teams are conviced it was a fair restart. Those who like to hold their foot on top of the ball and try to roll it around as a kick or walk on it as if squishing it was a kick you could directly address this the very first time and set the standard. Retake no cautions just a plain kick the ball into play so I can see that it is so!
Cheers