Question Number: 21407

Law 13 - Free Kicks 5/25/2009

RE: Rec Under 11

Emily of Elmira, ON Canada asks...

I just began reffing recently and I have one question that no one has answered for me- when there is a penalty kick do you raise your hand for a direct kick or an indirect kick? and how do you know wich it should be???
thanks

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

Emily, you raise your hand only for indirect free kicks, and you lower it as soon as the ball has touched any player besides the kicker. When you lower it, it means it has touched someone and the ball can score. If the ball goes into the goal directly from an indirect free kick or out over the goal line, then we restart with either a goal kick, if it was an attacker that kicked it out, or with a corner kick if it was the defending team.

As for penalty kicks, repeat until you can't forget: a team that commits one of the 10 direct free kick offenses in their own penalty area elevates the direct free kick to a penalty kick. Think of the penalty kick as another kind of DFK.

The only exception, of course, is a goalkeeper is allowed to deliberately handle the ball inside her own penalty area. You can never, ever - not even once - call a penalty kick against a goalkeeper in her own area for deliberately handling the ball. NEVER!!

Your assignment is to go to: http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/affederation/federation/81/42/36/lotg_en.pdf and read Laws 12, 13 & 14 at least 10 times. Write down a list of the 10 DFK offenses and review it each time before you referee. If it isn't one of those offenses, you can just bet the restart will be an indirect free kick. Don't forget to read the Interpretations in the back for those same Laws.

Good luck! You'll make a good referee if you keep asking questions and reading, reading, reading up on the Laws.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Emily, your instructors must have done an amazingly poor job if you have to ask us this question. This is no reflection on you and congratulations on becoming a certified referee. A penalty kick is NEVER EVER an indirect kick, Why? Because a penalty kick is awarded when a player of a team commits one of the 10 DIRECT free kick fouls inside his own penalty area. You should memorize these 10 direct free kick fouls.

Guide To Procedures has this to say

:Referee
? Whistles to stop play
? Points clearly to the penalty mark
and, unless needed elsewhere for
game control purposes, moves
to the edge of the penalty area
near the goal line to discourage
confrontation and dissent

My assignment for you is to go to http://69.16.133.103:80/v7c5x3f7/cds/Documents/cms/ussf/2008-09%20GTP.pdf?dopvhost=images.ussoccer.com&doppl=1affb9b750e4818a&dopsig=518754683b82442a851dd6c5dd62daeb

and download Guide To Procedures For Referees, Assistant Referees and Fourth Officials and read it cover to cover!

If you have further questions for us please do not hesitate to ask!