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Law XIII - Helpful Information

FREE KICKS
This restart is called a "free kick" because it may be taken "freely" by the team to which it has been awarded -- without interference, hindrance, or delay. Free kicks are awarded for fouls, misconduct, a combination of the two, or offside. A direct free kick is given if play is stopped for a penal foul committed by a player against an opponent on the field of play (except when it is committed by a defender within his own penalty area -- see Law XIV, Penalty Kick). An indirect free kick is given if play is stopped for any other foul or if play is stopped solely to deal with misconduct committed on the field by a player, or for offside. A free kick may be taken in any direction (This does not apply to penalty kicks. See Law XIV.)




REQUIRED DISTANCE FOR OPPONENTS
All opponents must be at least ten yards (with exceptions for Passers (U8) and Wings (U10) divisions) away in all directions from the location of the free kick. Exceptions to the required distance are noted below (free kick for defenders inside their own penalty area, indirect free kick for the attacking team within ten yards of the opponents' goal, or a quick free kick by the attacking team). Referees should use discretion in cautioning for this infringement.

QUICK FREE KICK
The referee should move quickly out of the way after indicating the approximate area of the restart and should do nothing to interfere with the kicking team's right to an immediate free kick. With the older age groups, referees should not automatically "manage the wall," but should allow the ball to be put back into play as quickly as possible, unless the kicking team requests help in dealing with opponents infringing on the minimum distance.

RESTARTS WITHIN THE GOAL AREA
Special rules in Law VIII govern free kick restarts within the goal area or by defenders within their own penalty area.

ENFORCING THE REQUIRED DISTANCE
If the referee decides to delay the restart and to enforce the minimum required distance, he must tell the players not to start until he gives a clear signal to do so. An attacker who restarts play without a signal should be verbally warned and , upon repetition, be cautioned for unsporting behavior. An opponent who moves closer to the spot of the kick (from any direction) before it is taken must be cautioned and shown the yellow card if the referee has delayed the restart to ensure that the opponents are at the minimum distance.

If one or more opponents fail to respect the required distance before the ball is properly put into play, the referee should stop the restart to deal with this infringement. The free kick must be re-taken even if the momentum of play causes the ball to be kicked before the referee signals. The infringement plus the referee's decision to deal with it cancel any apparent restart regardless of a delay in announcing the decision.

The referee is expected to deal with opponents who fail to respect the required distance, even in situations in which they were induced to do so by attackers appearing to put the ball into play, but where the ball has not moved forward.

An attacking team which chooses to take a free kick with an opponent closer than the minimum distance may not thereafter claim infringement of the distance requirement, even if the ball is kicked directly to the infringing opponent, who thereby gains control of the ball.

BALL IN PLAY
The ball is in play (able to be played by an attacker other than the kicker or by an opponent) when it has been kicked and moved. The distance to be moved is minimal and the "kick" need only be slightest movement forward. Referees should not penalize a kicker unfairly by calling as a restart a touch and movement of the ball which, either at the time or based on the kicker's immediately subsequent actions, was clearly not intended as such. Likewise, referees should not unfairly punish "failing to respect the required distance" when an opponent was clearly confused by a touch and movement of the ball which was not a restart.

FREE KICK WITHIN OWN PENALTY AREA
When the free kick is awarded to the defending team inside its own penalty area, the minimum distance requirement applies in all directions around the location of the restart and all opponents must remain outside the penalty area until the ball has gone into play.

A free kick taken by the defending team from within its own penalty area must be kicked out of the penalty area and into the field of play. The ball has not been properly put into play if, under these circumstances, it leaves the field of play before leaving the penalty area. Such a kick must be re-taken as no infringement has occurred.

INDIRECT FREE KICK WITHIN MINIMUM DISTANCE OF OPPONENTS' GOAL
Defenders (including the goalkeeper) may be closer than the required minimum distance from an indirect free kick restart only if they are standing on the goal line and between the goal posts. Referees must exercise special care not to restrict the kicking team's right to a quick indirect free kick simply in order to enforce this exception to the minimum distance requirement.

STOPPAGE FOR MISCONDUCT
When play is stopped to deal with misconduct committed by a player on the field, the indirect free kick is taken from the place where the misconduct occurred. If the referee applies advantage to the misconduct and subsequently stops play when the advantage no longer exists, the restart is still taken from the place where the original misconduct occurred.

SIGNAL FOR INDIRECT FREE KICK
The failure of the referee either to give the correct signal for an indirect free kick or to hold it for the required period of time does not change the nature of the restart, nor does it alter the requirement for a subsequent touch of the ball for a goal to be scored.


 

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