Question Number: 12032

Law 8 - Start and Restart of Play 1/6/2006

Roberto Magellan of somewhere in the usa, usa asks...

Scenario: Direct Free Kick - Wall - Retake or Not retake?

Blue player is fouled outside the penalty area. The referee makes the call – a direct free kick.
White players arrive quickly and stand 5 yards from the ball, forming a wall between the ball and the goal.
Blue player comes, prepares the ball to take the kick and does NOT ask the referee to tell the White players to move away from the ball.
Blue DFK taker walks back and takes the kick.
The ball hits one of the white players on the wall 5 yards away.
The referee allows play to go on with the ball in possession of the White team.
Was the referee correct in allowing the play to go on?
Was he right when he stated that since the Blue team did not ask him to tell the White players to move 10 yards away from the ball, the Blue team lost their right to claim a retake of the kick?

Coach Roberto – Blue Team.


PS. I was told by the referee that I am incorrectly instructing my players to NOT ask the referee for a wall formation.

Answer provided by Referee Nathan Lacy

Intersting question - it sounds somewhat familiar to another question I saw here. It is incumbent on the team that committed the foul to retire to 10 yards - they are the ones who committed the foul and they have no right to be within the 10 yard distance. It is, however, the referees responsibility to ensure and enforce that this occurs UNLESS the team taking the kick decides on a quick restart in which case the referee should allow that to occur. I do not know at what point this occurred in the game. If this event happened early in the game then the referee missed a golden opportunity - in my opinion. If it happened late in the game then it is probably just indicative of the ref's failure to ensure that 10 yards were given throughout the course of the game and something that you and your players should have recognized, adjusted to, and taken action to overcome (ask for the 10). As you describe it, the blue players are not rushing to take the kick and the referee could have easily stepped in to ensure that the rights of the team taking the kick were allowed - i.e. that the defending team was 10 yards from the ball. However, by not stepping in to enforce the 10 yards but allowing the kick to proceed the referee showed that the position of the defenders was deemed acceptable. If your players must continually ask for the 10 in cases other than a quick restart then it would be prudent to recognize this as what the referee is accepting that day and I would suggest that you take steps to ensure that you get the 10 yards you deserve. I do not agree that you should have to do this over and over again but you must adjust to what you are being presented with. This is something that we as refs must deal with early or it just continues throughout the game, slows everything down, and makes the game less than enjoyable for everyone. It is insidious and has been the subject of many discussions regarding how we as referees must take action in these cases to ensure that a team does not persistently infringe on the law and gain an undue advantage by being able to break up the opponents momentum - especially when close to goal. Some refs are more adept at this than others. But as Clint Eastwood said in "Heartbreak Ridge" - improvise, adapt, and overcome. All the best,

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

My colleagues answer sums up my feelings on the matter to a T. The referee in your match could benifit from additional mentoring training and another review of the laws. Cheers