A&H

IDFK signal order?

santa sangria

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With offside, it is quite usual to blow and then just stick up the hand vertically - without signalling the direction of the IDFK - because 99 times out of 100 it is obvious that the whistle has gone for offside.

I have been getting confused when blowing for other IDFK offences e.g. high feet and falling on/crawling on the ball. My instinct is to blow and stick the hand straight up but of course players are looking for the direction..

I am aware this is nitpicking... should we always blow, signal the direction of the free kick, put the arm down, and then put it straight back up to show IDFK... what is the prescription technique here... and should we really signal direction first for offsides too...?
 
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Personally the arm goes up once I've signalled the direction.

Offsides are the exception as 9 times out of 10 it's obvious what you've blown for so the arm goes straight up
 
For IDFK other than offsides, I would blow, point direction then say "indirect" and raise my arm.
For offsides, I would simply blow and yes, nine times out of ten its obv an offside, and raise my arm to the indirect signal.
I cant imagine ever signalling direction for offside. Again I am vocal enough and prob go. offside after blowing whistle
 
The signal for idfk doesnt need to be made immediately so long as you indicate before play has restarted.
My order is Whistle, signal direction, (I would, but not essential, tell kicker indirect or call out indirect), take up my position and finally arm up to indicate indirect and signal you are ready for it to be taken with the whistle or otherwise.
 
I will be honest I didn't even know you were supposed to signal with arm straight up for indirect, I always just assumed you just basically did it loudly vocally (reason I am on forum to keep improving knowledge so hey ho!) Funnily enough I was on the aref site earlier and theres a question about an idfk in the pen area to attackers when do you put you arm down it baffled me
 
I will be honest I didn't even know you were supposed to signal with arm straight up for indirect, I always just assumed you just basically did it loudly vocally (reason I am on forum to keep improving knowledge so hey ho!) Funnily enough I was on the aref site earlier and theres a question about an idfk in the pen area to attackers when do you put you arm down it baffled me

Can you remember the wording of the question?

Your arm comes down when the ball is touched by another player (once the kick has been taken) or it goes out of play.
 
@TopCat Don't put your arm up (for an IDFK) straight away - you could be running around with your arm in the air for some time! Tell the kicker it's indirect, get in position, raise your arm.

You keep your arm raised until the ball has touched a player (other than the free kick taker) from either side. As soon as another player touches the ball, drop your arm. A raised arm indicates that a goal can't be scored.
 
I tend to have a different routine for Offside than I do for all other IDFK...

Offside: Blow, make a line mid air with my hand running from the AR to the opposite side to show offside (in case there is doubt), wait for ball to be placed for free-kick, then arm in the air.

Everything else: Blow, arm in the air and it stays there until the kick is taken and it touches another player.

It was always my understanding that the arm in the air was not so much a signal to show that the offence given is penalised by an IDFK, but a signal to show (by lowering the arm) that the ball had touched a 'second player' and so a goal could now be scored. Though I can't remember where I heard this...
 
should we always blow, signal the direction of the free kick, put the arm down, and then put it straight back up to show IDFK... what is the prescription technique here... and should we really signal direction first for offsides too...?
Like the others, I use my voice (a lot... too much?), but on a non-offside IFK, I whistle, signal direction, hold for a couple of seconds, and then raise that arm to the vertical.

The short and long of it is, give direction, and make sure that your arm is vertical by the time the restart takes place. Exactly how you do it becomes your personal quirk, and as an observer, if they get the mechanics of "stop, whistle, direction, IFK" down, and the signals are all clean and easily recognizable, then it's good.
 
@TopCat Don't put your arm up (for an IDFK) straight away - you could be running around with your arm in the air for some time! Tell the kicker it's indirect, get in position, raise your arm.

You keep your arm raised until the ball has touched a player (other than the free kick taker) from either side. As soon as another player touches the ball, drop your arm. A raised arm indicates that a goal can't be scored.
OK that's great thanks, like I say I had no clue about that. Honestly don't remember it being covered in my course, the scenarios about if someone shoots and it doesn't touch anyone etc what happens then definitely were just not that specific point
 
I tend to have a different routine for Offside than I do for all other IDFK...

Offside: Blow, make a line mid air with my hand running from the AR to the opposite side to show offside (in case there is doubt), wait for ball to be placed for free-kick, then arm in the air.

Everything else: Blow, arm in the air and it stays there until the kick is taken and it touches another player.

It was always my understanding that the arm in the air was not so much a signal to show that the offence given is penalised by an IDFK, but a signal to show (by lowering the arm) that the ball had touched a 'second player' and so a goal could now be scored. Though I can't remember where I heard this...
That's exactly what I have been doing minus the arm in air bit, comforted that I hadn't made up the line across signal as I just insitcintvely started doing it...
 
The signal for idfk doesnt need to be made immediately so long as you indicate before play has restarted.
My order is Whistle, signal direction, (I would, but not essential, tell kicker indirect or call out indirect), take up my position and finally arm up to indicate indirect and signal you are ready for it to be taken with the whistle or otherwise.
Good answers thanks.
And this is a nice reminder that the IDFK signal doesn't have to go up straight away. I think that's where I have been confusing myself. I have been too focused on firs showing if a high foot is IDFK (no contact) or DFK (contact).
I also talk to players a lot. I typically shout "indirect" as I signal.
 
@TopCat Don't put your arm up (for an IDFK) straight away - you could be running around with your arm in the air for some time! Tell the kicker it's indirect, get in position, raise your arm.

You keep your arm raised until the ball has touched a player (other than the free kick taker) from either side. As soon as another player touches the ball, drop your arm. A raised arm indicates that a goal can't be scored.


Unless you are elite FIFA, where, they have permission to lower arm when its obvious the ball is not headed to say, the goals, i.e. a simple short defensive restart or a hoof away out wide into the stands.....
Interestingly, in a recent (u19?) Euros, Italy v Czech, an offside restart (one of the new ones where restart is in the other half), the player "scored" directly from the offside restart, the referee, having possibly been caught up in a subs procedure prior to the restart, had failed to signal the IDFK properly, and all manner of confusion ensued. To myself, and am sure 99% of viewers, the referees failure to signal IDFK should not negate the fact that a goal cannot be scored, and a goal kick is the restart, (and was), HOWEVER, and it was bewilderingly decreed by UEFA afterwards, that indeed a goal should have been the decision.
please note before any manner of opinionated replies, it is very much not my personal opinion on what happened, ( I would have restarted with a goal kick) but ruling from UEFA was, goal. Bizarre.....
 
Unless you are elite FIFA, where, they have permission to lower arm when its obvious the ball is not headed to say, the goals, i.e. a simple short defensive restart or a hoof away out wide into the stands.....
Interestingly, in a recent (u19?) Euros, Italy v Czech, an offside restart (one of the new ones where restart is in the other half), the player "scored" directly from the offside restart, the referee, having possibly been caught up in a subs procedure prior to the restart, had failed to signal the IDFK properly, and all manner of confusion ensued. To myself, and am sure 99% of viewers, the referees failure to signal IDFK should not negate the fact that a goal cannot be scored, and a goal kick is the restart, (and was), HOWEVER, and it was bewilderingly decreed by UEFA afterwards, that indeed a goal should have been the decision.
please note before any manner of opinionated replies, it is very much not my personal opinion on what happened, ( I would have restarted with a goal kick) but ruling from UEFA was, goal. Bizarre.....
This is covered in law. If the referee fails to indicate indirect free kick with raised arm then its a retake, not a GK. Only a GK if it is signalled.

An indirect free kick must be retaken if the referee fails to signal that the kick is
indirect and the ball is kicked directly into the goal

Page 105.
 
I agree, until last season I would have went goal kick and now, would it retake
However, the incident I described did happen and I did not want to take time to find UEFA decision on it, but, if I can I will....
As I said, it bewildered me.
 
I agree, until last season I would have went goal kick and now, would it retake
However, the incident I described did happen and I did not want to take time to find UEFA decision on it, but, if I can I will....
As I said, it bewildered me.
Wasnt a law change either. It appears in the 15/16 edition before the big re write and to my memory had been in the laws since I started refereeing 6 years ago :) so not sure how FIFA/ifab are getting in a muddle with it.

"An indirect free kick must be retaken if the referee fails to raise his arm to
indicate that the kick is indirect and the ball is kicked directly into the goal. The
initial indirect free kick is not nullified by the referee’s mistake."
Page 133.
 
This is covered in law. If the referee fails to indicate indirect free kick with raised arm then its a retake, not a GK. Only a GK if it is signalled.

An indirect free kick must be retaken if the referee fails to signal that the kick is
indirect and the ball is kicked directly into the goal

Page 105.
Out if curiosity is signal only classed as non verbal ie the arm upwards....edit...you just answered my question
 
Out if curiosity is signal only classed as non verbal ie the arm upwards....edit...you just answered my question
Yes you must raise your arm to signal indirect on all idfks.
You do not have to tell anybody verbally.
Arm up - straight in goal - gk.
No arm - straight in goal - retake.

However, I find it is courtesy to verbalise as well. Not all players will know and even of they do might not be lookong at you when its taken so by verbalising ypu avoid yourself any problems when you chalk off a goal.
 
Wasnt a law change either. It appears in the 15/16 edition before the big re write and to my memory had been in the laws since I started refereeing 6 years ago :) so not sure how FIFA/ifab are getting in a muddle with it.

"An indirect free kick must be retaken if the referee fails to raise his arm to
indicate that the kick is indirect and the ball is kicked directly into the goal. The
initial indirect free kick is not nullified by the referee’s mistake."
Page 133.


I have not worded my post very well, apologises. What I meant, was, (am big enough to accept a lapse ), I (wrongly) would have given a goal kick until recently, (when it clicked that the correct restart was a retake).
UEFA's overriding response to the incident I described (the bits I can recall without seeing the actual statement) was that a goal should not be disallowed due to a referee's technicality. As said, myself am lost as to the reasoning, so this is not me saying its what I think is correct.
 
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