A&H

Stopping “quick freekicks””

S

saullyons2

New Member
Level 7 Referee
I just have a quick question I clarifying. When refereeing games, I have noticed players either
  1. Telling their team mates to stand on or near the ball to prevent it being played quickly
  2. Themselves standing on the ball to prevent it being played quickly.
Can someone please clarify whether this is allowed and if not what the appropriate punishment should be?
 
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saullyons2 said:
I just have a quick question I clarifying. When refereeing games, I have noticed players either
  1. Telling their team mates to stand on or near the ball to prevent it being played quickly
  2. Themselves standing on the ball to prevent it being played quickly.
Can someone please clarify whether this is allowed and if not what the appropriate punishment should be?
Click to expand...
Law 13 sets out the options.
This is a practice best snuffed out early in each game.
When a player (or coach) tells someone to "stand on it" a nice loud "If you want a yellow card stand on it, or go 10 yards away now" sets up the option of a caution on that occasion or any repetition.
Similarly, a player closes the free kick a loud "10 yards, now, 6" sets up the options.
Once they know you're on the case, they will back off (almost always, I watched a youth game last month when a player got two cautions in six minutes for this)
 
saullyons2 said:
I just have a quick question I clarifying. When refereeing games, I have noticed players either
  1. Telling their team mates to stand on or near the ball to prevent it being played quickly
  2. Themselves standing on the ball to prevent it being played quickly.
Can someone please clarify whether this is allowed and if not what the appropriate punishment should be?
Click to expand...
So if they are not stood the required distance away from the ball 10 yards (9.15m) and you have already told them about it (given them a verbal warning), you can caution them for this behaviour.

However most of the time when I am refereeing most teams don't end up taking free kicks or just aren't able to since they are too close to the box.
 
ChasObserverRefDeveloper said:
Law 13 sets out the options.
This is a practice best snuffed out early in each game.
When a player (or coach) tells someone to "stand on it" a nice loud "If you want a yellow card stand on it, or go 10 yards away now" sets up the option of a caution on that occasion or any repetition.
Similarly, a player closes the free kick a loud "10 yards, now, 6" sets up the options.
Once they know you're on the case, they will back off (almost always, I watched a youth game last month when a player got two cautions in six minutes for this)
Click to expand...
Damn you replied a moment sooner than me
 
Kref said:
So if they are not stood the required distance away from the ball 10 yards (9.15m) and you have already told them about it (given them a verbal warning), you can caution them for this behaviour.

However most of the time when I am refereeing most teams don't end up taking free kicks or just aren't able to since they are too close to the box.
ChasObserverRefDeveloper said:
Law 13 sets out the options.
This is a practice best snuffed out early in each game.
When a player (or coach) tells someone to "stand on it" a nice loud "If you want a yellow card stand on it, or go 10 yards away now" sets up the option of a caution on that occasion or any repetition.
Similarly, a player closes the free kick a loud "10 yards, now, 6" sets up the options.
Once they know you're on the case, they will back off (almost always, I watched a youth game last month when a player got two cautions in six minutes for this)
Click to expand...
Thanks for the response and help, so just to clarify, if a player stand on the ball to stop it being taken, thats a yellow?
Click to expand...
 
saullyons2 said:
Thanks for the response and help, so just to clarify, if a player stand on the ball to stop it being taken, thats a yellow?
Click to expand...

Yes if an opponent is standing close to the ball and preventing a free kick being taken they should be cautioned (yellow card) for delaying the restart of play.

A warning is not required under the laws but, at least the first time, it helps with match control to try and warn them to keep away from it, before there is any potential attempt to take the free kick. This clearly shows that you won't allow it before there is an infringement.
 
Managing expectation is key to selling the yellow card here. Each case is different, but generally it is a much easier sell if the team with the free kick is attempting to take the kick but their good options are closed because of the player standing on the ball.

Conversely if the team with the ball is not attempting to take the kick, while cautioning may be correct in law for Y5 (not respecting distance at restart), it will surprise everyone.
 
Be mindful of skullduggery also, waters are murkied by players who had no intention of taking the fk, claiming that they were, but could not due to the opponent.

the instances were a caution us required tend to be clear cut, i.e, ridiculously obvious, or, the persistent offender.
 
You should always try to manage it, shouting something like move away please if it looks like they are going to try and stop a quickly taken free kick. If they then block it you have sold a very easy yellow card as they can't say they weren't warned.
 
Look at the direction the defender is going.

Runs from somewhere else towards the ball and stops a free-kick, you would consider going straight to yellow. Tell them not to do it when you see them running in, if they ignore you then you have warned them.

If a defender is close to the ball when the foul occurred, then they can't teleport ten yards instantly. Instruct them to start moving back straight away, if they start moving backwards and are hit by a free kick then that is play-on and the attackers fault.
 
So what if the defender walks up to the ball and stands right in front of the ball expecting the ref to tell him to back away or the attacker to ask for 10 and the attacker walks up and kicks the ball basically right at him. YC?
What if the defender is walking/jogging up to the ball and, as the defender is walking/jogging up to the ball, the attacker "deliberately" hits him with the kick? YC?
If not, do you just let play continue? or do you warn the defender and have the attacker rekick?
 
NOVARef said:
So what if the defender walks up to the ball and stands right in front of the ball expecting the ref to tell him to back away or the attacker to ask for 10 and the attacker walks up and kicks the ball basically right at him. YC?
What if the defender is walking/jogging up to the ball and, as the defender is walking/jogging up to the ball, the attacker "deliberately" hits him with the kick? YC?
If not, do you just let play continue? or do you warn the defender and have the attacker rekick?
Click to expand...
In these cases, manage proactively, and from the first such issue.
If a player stands by the ball, tell them loudly to move back. If the player kicks the ball at them, stop play, tell the kicker to wait, tell the opponents that the next one will be cautioned. Retake the kick.
If a player approaches the ball, loud public warning or a caution.
If the defender is moving away slowly, shout "Keep going, blue" but if the kick is then taken, play continues.
 
If you see a player start to run towards the ball and yell out "don't run in XX, keep moving back" they very quickly realise they've been caught and stop.
If they continue running in and stop the ball being played, well, they've been warned.
 
one said:
What if I see they almost never caution for this in the games on the telly?
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Then you make a snarky remark to the ref who cautions you for it, telling him he doesn’t know what he is doing because you see the the pros do the same thing all the time with no consequences, and then you get your second caution for dissent . . .
 
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