Question Number: 24626

Law 17 - Corner Kick 2/27/2011

RE: 2 Adult

Shorty of Otaki, Horowhenua New Zealand asks...

28/02/11
West Ham v Liverpool 27/02

1. The corner taken by West Ham late in the 2nd half was a second touch yet the Referee let the player retake it?
The WH-player placed the ball in the corner arc, he then moved back then forward kicking the ball which rolled out of the arc 2 maybe 3 feet. A L-player realsising the ball was now active and knowing the same WH-player couldnt play at it again, ran toward the ball expecting to gain control. But no sooner had the WH-player kicked it, he picked it up and put it back in the arc as if ready to re-take the corner?
This should be a hand ball, the player should be cautioned and a DFK given to L from where the offence occured. Yet the Referee ran over and told him to proceed with the corner all the while the L-player was protesting. Am I correct in this? I appreciate the Referee may have been watching something happening in the PA, pushing etc but you would have thought the AR would have seen this.

2. West Ham v Liverpool (Same game as above).
2nd half Reina saves a shot and picks up the ball runs to the edge of the PA punts the ball and Carlton Cole a metre outside the PA jumps trying to block his kick. C.Cole is successful as the ball hits him and bounces back into the PA to the left of Reina. Reina then quickly dives to his left onto the ball saving it again. Reina then jumped up protesting to the Referee. My thoughts or should I say understanding from reading your website is 'you arent allowed to impead the goalies ability to release the ball back into play'?
Am I correct in this?
I dont understand why the Referee let C.Cole do this, I would have thought he should have been spoken to or given a caution?

Thanks ShortyNZ
Great website by the way, very very helpful, read it all the time.
First time emailing though :-)

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi
1. If the referee deems that the ball is kicked and moves it is in play on any restart except for a goal kick or a free kick inside the penalty area where the ball must leave the penalty area to be in play. You will recall the recent incident between Liverpool and Sunderland where the referee decided that a kick did put the ball into play at a free kick and allowed play to continue resulting in a goal for Liverpool. At the highest level referees sometime do what they believe is 'best' for the game. The referee here, Mark Halsey, decide it was not taken so he went with a 'retake'. Another referee may have decided it was taken and awarded a direct free kick for handling. That is an opinion that the referee makes on the day.
2. Your understanding of this is correct. Cole is not allowed to jump up in front of Reina, the Liverpool GK, to prevent him releasing the ball into play. Play is stopped and it is an IDFK from where the offence took place. The referee has the discretion to play advantage and whether to caution or not. The referee here decided to allow play to continue due to the fact that Reina recovered the ball and not to caution. It is not a good idea IMO. The best decision here would have been award the free kick and have a word/caution the offender based on the circumstances. Finally a player must be penalised for playing in a dangerous manner if he kicks or attempts to kick the ball when the goalkeeper is in the process of releasing. That is also an IDFK restart and a possible caution.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

I didn't see this game, but can answer with general principles.

1. The referee determines when the ball is 'kicked and moves' so that it is in play. The USSF gives the advice that '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.' While a ball that rolls 2 or 3 feet stretches that interpretation, perhaps the referee saw something else that indicated the player was not really taking the restart.

2. Players may not prevent the goalkeeper from releasing the ball. However, if the keeper releases it directly at the player who is in a legal position and that player jumps to intercept the ball, who has erred here? The goalkeeper had 6 seconds to move to a more advantageous position to take the punt. If the opponent follows the keeper's movement, then an offense has been committed. As my colleague notes, it may be considered trifling or the referee may invoke advantage when the ball goes right back to the goalkeeper's possession, as he then has another 6 seconds to distribute the ball. A caution would likely only be necessary upon repetition of an offense.

Thanks for your kind remarks about our site. We enjoy the work.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

The ball is in play when the referee says it is. The referee should judge that the ball is in play when it is kicked and moves. (The ball does NOT have to leave the corner arc; it does not have to move a minimum distance.)

As to what happened. I can think of two reasons for the referee's decision:

A. If the referee had orally indicated that the corner should wait because of some scrum in the goal mouth, the kicker must wait for a whistle. If the kicker doesn't wait, the kick shall be retaken. The better practice is to use both voice and hand signal to indicate 'wait for the whistle.'

B. If the referee didn't see the initial kick and movement of the ball, the referee may only have seen a player adjusting the location of the ball with the hands in order to take the corner kick. Since the referee did not judge that the ball was in play, the corner kick must be taken.

If, however, the referee judged that the ball had already been kicked and had moved on the corner kick, the restart indeed would be a direct free kick for the defense (for deliberate handling of the ball). The second touch offense (an indirect free kick offense) is ignored when the second touch is done by the hands of a field player). Mr. Noble might also have been cautioned for unsporting behavior.

One of the dangers of the 'trick' corner kick is that the offense sometimes tricks the referee.