Question Number: 20715

Law 13 - Free Kicks 1/5/2009

RE: Competitive Under 15

Shane Klundt of Hudson, WI United States asks...

Two questions in regards to respecting distance at a free quick.
1. I have seen players who are not close to the ball when a free kick is called, run over to the ball and stand in front of it. They then claim it is the responsibility of the kicker to ask the ref for the player to back off 10 yds. Isn't this action a potential yellow card offense?

2. At the taking of a free kick, the defender is the proper distance from the ball. However, as the kicker approaches the ball, the defender also approaches the ball. As the ball is kicked, the defender is no longer the proper distance from the ball. Isn't this action a potential yellow card offense?

Both instances I have seen happen several times. However, the referees have never done anything about it.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

1. No. It is not 'potential' yellow card offense, it should be an automatic caution with subsequent yellow card. This is a gross offense against both the letter and the spirit of the game and should be handled immediately and forcefully. A quick caution would end this despicable behavior. It is a myth that the fouled team has to ask for the 10 yards. The team committing the foul is REQUIRED to give the 10 yards and to do so immediately. The team committing the foul has no right to further disadvantage the fouled team by preventing them from taking a quick kick. Coaches teaching this tactic should be chastised.
2. Again, this action is an obvious infringement. Since the ball has been kicked and is in play, we would only stop play immediately if the defender encroaching played the ball. if he did, we issue a caution, show the yellow card and take the kick over after a stern warning to the defending team to stop such behavior. If the kick goes over or around the encroaching player we watch to see what happens. If it's advantageous to the kicking team to let play continue, we do so but still may come back and punish the misconduct at the next stoppage.
If you see referees ignoring such blatant infringements of Law 13, they are likely also ignoring other points of Law either through ignorance or timidity. Simply put, such referees do a disservice to themselves and the game when the ignore such obvious breeches of the Law

This is one instance were you a coach and the other team was using such tactics, I think at the half you should have a polite word with the referee and remind him that what the opponents are doing is illegal and unfair to your team especially the first action which prevents you from taking a quick kick which is your right. If the referee continues to allow such behavior, contact your local referee assignor and report the action as this referee needs an assessment and some retraining asap.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

(1)They are wrong!
The referee who allows it is also wrong!
The coach who teaches it is also wrong, however, if the referee is wrong then tactically it is proven right. Ignorance breeds ignorance but one can take advantage of ones inability to separate the need from the truth.

While in my opinion a caution, show a yellow card is certainly the best option to eliminate such obtuse behaviour some referees engage in man management and verbal do not do that or else thus become involved in the situation creating an imbalance in the perception of those watching and playing about what can or could happen.

I have ALWAYS maintained as a coach and as a referee if the referee of the match permits such things and has not said no then he has said yes.

UNLESS a referee has PLAINLY stated by voice and body that the free kick MUST wait, then it need not wait. I teach my team WHEN defending that they must be alert to ANY restart at ANY time unless the referee has SPECIFICALLY stated otherwise!

Recently on this panel we engaged in a debate about what constitutes a GUARANTEED whistled restart that all players could depend on as a done deal. It was mentioned that if the team fouled ASKS for ten yards then we MUST whistle the restart. If this was done to set up a trick play and no defenders were in the process of delaying the free kick I could agree that this was so and would in fact verbally signal We WAIT for the whistle, point to it if required and get an affirmative nod from the kicker that he understands. I could actually punish any restart if the attackers went before I signalled and force them to retake with a probable caution to boot

Far too often the RELUCTANCE of a referee to caution a defender that has CREATED the need for a team to ASK for ten will promote a intervention where by the referee is trying to get the proper distance the law requires BUT not cautioning the player as he should! Our referee in fact is now interfering by distracting the defenders who become furious if play does restart without the expected whistle.

The referee has not SPECIFICALLY told the attackers to wait and if the attackers take the kick as he yells or waves the defenders away, the referee could feel no serious need to retake as the defenders were escaping a caution and thus lucky anyway no matter how ill used they feel.

Of course the referee could order a retake and chew the attackers out saying they need to wait. The attackers respond with why did you not caution the defender who prevented us from going earlier and you did not say we had to wait? Thus dissent and the referee now cautions the attackers after FAILING to caution the one opposing player truly at fault initially. See how weak or poor decisions leads to additional and greater problems with feelings of ill will?

We can all agree this is bad mechanics but the PROBLEMS arise by the referee FAILING to act positively with a caution and showing the yellow card to the defender who CREATES these requests in the first place.


(2)If at the taking of a FREE kick, optimum word *FREE* an opponent fails to respect the ten yards by closing the distance prior to the ball being kicked if that FREE kick is not to the ADVANTAGE of the attackers then I will restart and caution show a yellow card to the opponent who failed to remain at the minimum of ten yards.

If the free kick is not interrupted and play continues with no adverse results such transgressions can be overlooked as trifling since they did not impact play. So that COULD be why no referee was reacting to it
I would not caution at the next stoppage but could have a stern word in their ear about what the law requires and how lucky they were they did not affect the restart.
Cheers