Question Number: 36010

Law 13 - Free Kicks 9/4/2025

RE: Grass roots competitive Adult

Mark Simmons of Eastbourne, East Sussex United Kingdom asks...

In a recent game a ref awarded a free kick to our team in an attacking position. Our player took the free kick before the ref had blown the whistle to restart play. The ref then reversed the award of the free kick to the opposition giving them a defensive free kick instead.

In my 40 years of playing, watching and being involved in coaching/running teams I have never seen this. Usually the free kick is just retaken.

Is there anywhere in the Laws of the game that allow the ref to make this call - we are not playing Rugby!?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Mark
Thanks for the question.
The referee did not have any power to reverse the free kick to a defensive one just because the kick was taken before the referee signal. That is not part of law. Indeed it is only good mechanics that a whistle is used in a ceremonial free kick. It is not an error in Law if a whistle is not used unlike a penalty kick where it is required in Law 14
An option available was a caution to the kicker and a retake. Another option could have been to say allow play to continue such as a goal kick if the ball was blazed over the bar.
Another consideration was there the possibility of an offence at the moment of the kick such as attackers being in the defensive wall? If that is the case the restart is an IDFK at the location of the offence.

So I am not sure what was the referee’s thinking here. He could have confused codes if he referees other codes or there was a legitimate reasons such as another offence such as that mentioned which might not be clearly apparent
I have heard of situations where referees make up their own rules to deal with certain situations that they dislike.
I heard one recently where a referee who was annoyed by players delaying a kick off after a goal through tardy celebrations where he allowed play to restart with 3 players not in their own half. It should have been a caution/s for delaying the restart not a kick off with three players a distance in the opponents half.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

hi Mark,
I concur with my colleague.
We' can not the be sure what the ref was thinking?
There is the possibility that the freekick was taken correctly, but it was tthe attacking team did something to create a problem once the ball was in play? As my colleague suggest an illegal Attacker in the Defensive wallt could be an indirect free kick from that point not from where the original free kick was from.

Unlike a PK which requires a procedural set up and a mandatory whistle, no manditory signal is required to take a free kick, -unless- the referee has deliberately intervened, turning it into what is called a ceremonial free kick . Although a whistle is recommended for a ceremonial restart, again the referee could indicate to go ahead with a hand wavse/finger point or verbal statement. May not be the best protocol or procedure but not technically against the LOTG. Not going to win any friends if he uses ambiguous signaling.

Communication should be clear and precise. If it is a ceremonial free kick and the referee has intervened he likely told them don't go until I blow the whistle. Usually by getting eye contact with the kicker pointing at the whistle & publicly stating the obvious, no one goes until I blow this.

The referee ensures that everybody is where he wants them to be and signals for the restart. If the kicker jumps the restart and kicks the ball ahead of the signal the referee could say, you're delaying the restart and caution show a yellow card, but the kicker's team would STILL get to take it get to retake the free kick again because the ball was never put in play correctly.

if the player kicks the ball out of bounds and the referee didn't signal, he could play funnies and say well just give the ball to the other team for the goal kick or the throw in rather than caution and retake. Likely accepted by both teams so there's nothing to get too concerned about. Except perhaps a performance review and an assessment.
Cheers