Question Number: 29862

Law 13 - Free Kicks 10/26/2015

RE: Competative Under 14

Jose of Corona, Ca Usa asks...

A ref calls a direct kick, an appossing player stands in front of the ball and the kicking team does not ask for 10 yards. Can he be yellow carded for standing in front of the ball, if the play didnt ask for ten or the ref did not ask the player to move back.

The ref was asked why the player was carded and the ref responded because the player didnt automatically respect the ten yards.

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

Hi Jose,

The attacking team are not required to ask for 10 yards. The law required the defending team to remain 10 yards from the ball, so the obligation is on the defender. If the laws permitted the defender to stand right in front of the ball until the attacker asks for 10 yards, then this would be allowing defenders to prevent a quick free kick - when part of the purpose of having to retire 10 yards is to ensure that quick free kicks are allowed. Free kicks are about restoring the advantage to the attack, not about allowing the defence time to organise.

As such if the player is clearly making no attempt to retire 10 yards from the position of the ball then he can, and should, be cautioned as by failing to respect the 10 yards, he's preventing the kick from occurring.

If, say, he's making some attempt to retire (and he hasn't run up to the ball first) the 10 yards and the attacking team kick it into him (or if he isn't retiring, but it was kicked immediately before he has the chance), then this is on the attacking team, so no offence. But if he is just standing in front of the ball to try and block the kick, this is a cautionable offence.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Jose,
I like that Referee ! Absolutely a caution show a yellow card for failure to respect the REQUIRED distance stated within the LOTG!

We can thank the reluctance of the elite level to caution for these infractions in case it compromises the fan appreciation for the game, the switch to foam and the willingness to accept most any restart that a goal might result from as now being ceremonial in nature. The trend to the ceremonial should not be seen at the recreational level as part of the game. The optimum word in free kick is the FREE part. The opposition are MANDATED in law to retire to 10 yards. This is NOT a request by the referee or only if you are feeling it and you think its ok! It is ABSOLUTELY essential to how the game is played.

Players do what the think the referee allow when it comes to taking liberties with how the LOTG are interpreted and by what they see others do or get away with. While each referee is a match condition just like the weather or pitch surface! Be it sunny or rainy hard pack sand or soft cushy grass the player adapts to the conditions . You get a by the book type a strict disciplinarian who calls everything or a soft marshmallow afraid to call anything or a quiet calm reserve type who can tightens and loosens the grip as he feels the flow and composure of game!

Any player who seeks to delay the restart or fails to respect the required distance is doing so to make time for his team to regroup or waste playing time. Some are rather good at getting SORT of in the way at just enough of a distance to say who, what, me? I am 10 when at 6 to 8. Other will walk into the direct line a kicker might wish to play the ball from farther away stating they are just trying to get back into their end and were withdrawing just by way of a circuitous route.

It is a MYTH that a team has to ASK for 10 yds.!
It is a MYTH that an opposing player must be warned 1st to withdraw to 10 yds!
It is a MYTH that the referee must pace off the ten yards!
It is in fact MANDITORY by the LOTG that 10 yds. is in fact the MINIMUM distance an opposing player MUST withdraw to!
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Jose
Unfortunately over the years the whole notion of quick free kicks and respecting the 10 yards has been lost in the game. The advent of the ceremonial free kick, vanishing spray , 10 yard pacing etc has added to the myth that opponents can run to the ball to prevent the free kick. In the Pro game many times they don't want the QFK or they want to play the ball sideways or back so the statue in front of the ball is not a factor except for the quick shot and that rarely if ever happens again with the development of free kick specialists etc.
Now the Laws have a specific caution for this which is
# failure to respect the required distance when play is restarted with a corner kick, free kick or throw-in.
Now regrettably players and many involved in the game do not see the unsporting nature of a player running towards the front of the ball at a free kick. Indeed it is actively coached. The offending team has no rights at a free kick and certainly do not have the right to stop the opponents getting on with play. It is why the word FREE is used. So the referee is entirely within the Law to caution for this. Lamentably itis now a regular occurrence and referee only caution in the blatant leg out to stop a pass to an attacker scenarios. In a recent game that I officiated a player who was already on a caution ran in front of the ball at a free kick. The team did not take the free kick and the player had no concept or notion that it was a possible caution for his action. I like many referees would caution if the player actually stopped the ball after the kick. Most referees do not want to be the crusader leading a cause for the return of respect at free kicks when the kick does not happen. Had I dismissed the player which I could easily have done I would have been berated for doing so. On the flip side of this I have seen player deliberately kick the ball aimlessly at the shins of an opponent in an attempt to get the opponent cautioned as could have happened here had the kicker been cynical enough to do so. As it turned out there was nothing on anyway so the kick was not taken quickly. Most referees do not oblige in those situations and both players are spoken to.
So we as referees try to ensure that the game is played as fairly as possible as the game was intended. As I say to those in the game that if referees were to officiate the modern games 100% according to the written Law all games would not finish as the teams would be reduced to 6 players before the final whistle for 2nd cautions. I suspect that after the caution in the game you refer to there wasnt so many players running in front of the ball at free kicks and certainly not the player that picked up the caution!!