Question Number: 22041

Law 13 - Free Kicks 9/21/2009

RE: Club & Rec Under 13

JTL of Houston, texas USA asks...

After a foul is committed , the offending team puts a player in front of the ball to discourage a quick restart . In the MLS game I saw ( Dynamo vs. RSL ) , the ref would come up step off 10 yds and the play would contiue . This happened a dozen times.

Why would this not be Delay or Failure to Respect Distance ?


Thanks

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

It is. The USSF 2009 Referee Directive on Free Kick and Restart Management focusses on this problem. It is the duty of the referee to be proactive to prevent the defenders from interfering with the attacking team's right to a quick free kick, and to caution those who deliberately interfere with an attacking team's desire to take a quick kick. At the professional level, however, the referees study which teams (and which players) prefer to use their free kick specialists and the movement of the wall back 10 yards.

Unfortunately, our players (and their coaches) see defense force a ceremonial kick on TV and repeat it on our fields. Some believe the myth that the attacking team must 'ask for ten.' It is our job to see that the attacking team gets both the right to a quick free kick and the distance.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi JTL
I agree with my colleague Dennis. Referees should ensure that the offending team does not delay the restart of play by positioning a player in front of the ball at every free kick.
The referee can do this by
1. Warning the player not to do this by have a 'word'
2. Cautioning any player that prevents the taking of the free kick after having the 'word'

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

It is. This is just another example of MLS referees ignoring not only the Laws Of The Game but USSF directives. As soon as an opponent stands directly in front of the ball preventing the fouled team from taking their rightful quick free kick a yellow card should come flying out of the referee's pocket.
As Ref Wickham points out, youth players see this on television as do their coaches. In fact, they see this so often that it's a common belief among youth coaches that this behavior is perfectly legal and they instruct their players to do this. When this happens in a youth game I referee, I no longer even try to explain the Law but go directly to a caution and yellow card. At least this stops the behavior. At the half or after the game, I can talk with the coach but even then they rarely believe me and think I have made a mistake. I've even shown coaches in the LOTG book and in Advice To Referees and they still insist it's legal to delay the restart of play. Why? Because they see it allowed at the professional level on television.

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

If the offending team deliberately moves or stands right in front of the ball then they should be cautioned.

If the attacking team isn't showing any willingness to take the kick quickly then you may have some flexibility to give the player concerned a stern warning - but be aware that the fact the attacking team doesn't looking like taking it quickly may purely be the result of that player standing there - and the more blatant his attempt to stand in front of the ball, the less likely we are to show that discretion (a player running from 10 yards to stand in front of the ball is a bit different to the player who committed the foul standing in front of the ball under the guise of waiting for your instruction - both are certainly cautionable, but the former is far more likely to result in a caution).

Unfortunately this is something that is difficult for the referee to deal with - cautions are rarely well accepted. Partly this is because too many players think they have the right to stand in front of the ball, because they think they can stand wherever they like until the ref moves them back. They often forget that it's solely their responsibility to at least make a decent effort to move back ten yards - and quite often players get away with this, to some extent, which makes it difficult to referee.

The earlier you respond - even simply with a harsh word - the easier it will be for you to take further action should it persist or have a more definite effect on play.