Question Number: 21306

Law 13 - Free Kicks 5/8/2009

RE: Select Under 19

Tony of Windsor, On Canada asks...

On an indirect free kick, the ball is in play when it is kicked and moves. Many times I have seen one player step on the ball and another player kick the ball into the net. Sometimes to the surprise of the other team. Is this correct? A trick? Your take on this. Thanx!

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

Kicked and moves means something more that tapped and wiggled. The ball is expected to be struck with the foot (kicked) and moved (a measurable, if small, distance) from here to there.

Remember that facts concerning play are the responsibility of the referee. If the referee feels the ball was not correctly put into play, the kick should be retaken, because the referee's opinion of the fact controls. Upon a repeat, a caution for delaying the restart of play could be given.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

While your area is not bound by this, the USSF publication Advice To Referees On The Laws Of The Game goes into detail on what kicked and moved means:

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' can include an action in which the ball is dragged by continuous contact with the foot. 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.

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').

Tapping the top of the ball with the bottom of the foot USED to be enough to have the ball kicked and moved. The thinking then was that if the ball is touched at all it has to move due to the Laws of Physics. That interpretation has changed.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

This has been a thorny issue of interpretation thanks to the linguistic endeavours of verbiage and meaning injected into a simple kicked and moved! This was changed from a complete revolution of the ball (its complete circumference) several years back. At first given the dynamics of physics a ball touched by the foot if ever so softly has moved on the quantum level thus satisfying the indfk first touch concept. A foot placed on the ball to position it suddenly must be interpreted as a probable first kick??

There was a leaning to a discernable motion in that IF a referee could actually see the ball wobble or quiver thus be SEEN to move that was sufficient. Next came we must see the ball move from point A to point B a discernable distance not a rocking motion to where the ball winds back where it started. Then we added it was ok to drag the ball with the foot and when we take away that foot that was a kicking motion even if the ball does NOT continue to roll.

We had those goofy corner kicks and tricky< " Hey ref we are going to pretend then this will happen blah blah USB actions. Crikey enough to make me wonder how such a simple concept ever got so bolloxed up?

To some extent a referee could forgo the need to be so technical if the one team trying a restart that the other team accepts as putting the ball in play. If they are ok with it why should the referee get in the way?.

On the other hand if we set the ground rules early perhaps we avoid further foolishness.

In my opinion (this is personal not national policy)the BALL must be KICKED with the foot in a discernable kicking action so that the ball rolls or moves to a new spot on the field. Now the ball does not have to go far or be kicked hard. We can strike it with the toe, instep or heel or stomp or roll it with the sole of the foot. If the ball is lifted into the air in that it leaves the ground or visibly rolls away AFTER the foot is removed, we are in play!

I totally reject the idea that either of these two concepts qualifies as kick! Be warned though what I accept is not necessarily national policy
(a) a foot placed on the ball and then taken away
(b) if the foot remains in contact with the ball as in rolling it with the sole of the foot in a repositioning manoeuvre
While it could make an effective point when we are digging the ball out of the goal and we award a goal kick out, not a kick off, not a retake! A smart referee avoids needless controversey with a few well timed words and explanations.
Mind you if the first touch is not accepted as a ball in play kicking motion, any other touch of the ball by either team on its way to the goal and the indfk requirements are still met!
Cheers