Question Number: 21720

Law 13 - Free Kicks 7/30/2009

RE: Competitive Under 11

Vic of Kleinburg, Ontario Canada asks...

All free kicks are indirect in our age group. When a player has his foot on the ball and then moves it off of it, is the ball live or not?

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

In order for the ball to be put into play, the ball has to be kicked and moved.

Rolling the ball with the bottom of the foot or just tapping the ball is acceptable, as long as when the foot is no longer in touch with the ball, the ball shows some visible movement.

If the ball is not seen to move from the perspective of the match officials, then it has not yet been put into play.

For instance, if the 'kicker' merely places his foot on the ball then takes it off with the intent of putting it into play, but the ball doesn't move at all, and a 2nd player kicks it directly into goal without anybody else touching it, we would consider that 2nd player to be the one who has put it into play. Thus, the indirect free kick has been kicked directly into goal without touching another play, so no goal would be awarded

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

For the ball to be in play it has to be kicked and moved. Tapping the ball on the top with the bottom of the foot does not constitute kicked and moved. Although you are Canadian, here is what the United States Soccer Federation Advice to Referees on The laws Of The Game has to say:

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").

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

Dragging the ball with the foot is generally accepted as putting the ball into the play. (Either as a kick with minimal movement, Unfortunately, it is also the way some players adjust the spot of the ball before taking the kick. The referee has to decide which one the player has done.