Quick free kicks and random query

[SLI39]

Hi,

Are there any restrictions on quick free kicks in law, and do you have a time scale at which you intervene in order to stop play and ensure the ten yard distance etc.? There was an incident at the weekend where I blew for an attacking free kick, near the touchline about forty yards from goal. The player gave every impression of wanting to take a quick one to a nearby team-mate, so the opponent didn't retreat and I allowed play to proceed. However, five or six seconds went by, and the fouled player was still deliberating; eventually, he passed it and play continued, but at least one defender was much closer than ten yards away. I never want to stop the game needlessly, as in this case it was a mobile team pushing for a late equaliser, but would you treat this like a corner in the sense that you check if the short option is being utilised, and revert to the normal procedure if it has not been in 3/4 seconds?

Also, a more unusual question: lately I have had a few games in a notoriously high-scoring youth league. When I looked at the results, almost all were in the region of 8 , 9, 10 goals per game, yet with the same teams I have never had more than four. Even one manager jovially mentioned that games were much closer when I was refereeing. Of course, this could be down to pure chance, but for lack of a formal arrangement I think this shows that referees on the same league should meet up perhaps a couple of times a season to discuss collective criteria.

 

[Russell Jones]

Generally speaking, the accepted wisdom is that attacking free kicks in the vicinity of the penalty areas will be on the whistle unless the attacking team want otherwise and put their plan into action swiftly. Defending teams get NO say in the matter, despite what they may wish to tell you . In other areas of the pitch I just tend to be highly vocal with any player who is obviously loitering within ten yards to make clear that I find it unacceptable ....

 

[SM]

If they want it quick, they take it quick, one or two seconds before I intervene.

That said, I will be shouting at the defender to retreat straight away - a player not making any effort to move back ten yards away during this time is risking a caution. In your situation, it sounds like a nailed on caution and a retake? Difficult to know without seeing it, but that's what it sounds like - especially if you have been telling them to retreat and they've ignored you?

 

[xPositor]

I also find that the attackers taking the free-quick will soon let you know if they think a defender is too close. If they've taken the kick "half quickly" with a defender too close, that hasn't moved significantly closer to the ball during the course of the action, that they haven't asked to be moved back: tough - no second go.

 

[CapnBloodbeard]

The LOTG don't really go into timeframes here. The problem you have is, if it's been a few seconds and the defender hasn't retreated further, then the attacking team may just kick it into him to try and milk a card - and their argument wouldn't be entirely unjustified.
If it's gone on for as long as you're stating then I don't think it's unreasonable to intervene (you'd probably want a quick double toot of the whistle). You're not denying the QFK, just acknowledging that it isn't being taken.

Hi,
like a corner in the sense that you check if the short option is being utilised, and revert to the normal procedure if it has not been in 3/4 seconds?
.

What?

 

[SLI39]

Thanks for the advice; I agree with most suggestions. In this instance, I don't think the defender's behaviour warranted a caution. He wasn't unduly close/delaying the restart; like me, he was expecting the opponent to release the ball at any moment, but was caught out when that didn't happen. I would intervene earlier next time, however.

 

[SLI39]

The LOTG don't really go into timeframes here. The problem you have is, if it's been a few seconds and the defender hasn't retreated further, then the attacking team may just kick it into him to try and milk a card - and their argument wouldn't be entirely unjustified.
If it's gone on for as long as you're stating then I don't think it's unreasonable to intervene (you'd probably want a quick double toot of the whistle). You're not denying the QFK, just acknowledging that it isn't being taken.


What?

I just meant to say that I don't enforce the ten yards in the immediacy of a quick corner, but if it hasn't been taken within a few seconds and players are gathering, I'll tell them to retreat while get into a more natural position for a ball into the box.

 

[SM]

I just meant to say that I don't enforce the ten yards in the immediacy of a quick corner, but if it hasn't been taken within a few seconds and players are gathering, I'll tell them to retreat while get into a more natural position for a ball into the box.

Why not?

 

[SLI39]

Why not?

Well, I fear I may have opened a can of worms here, but essentially there are two factors I have in mind. The first is practical in that often the corner has been taken too quickly to ensure opposing players are at least ten yards away, and I must track the subsequent actions. I've never felt the need to do this, but I suppose I could administer a caution for delaying tactics at the next stoppage. The second is my belief hitherto (perhaps wrong) that a short corner is executed at the players' own risk: you cannot expect all the proper procedures to be upheld to the letter in your (legitimate) wish to move with haste.

 

[richard ramjane]

i like to treat it like advantage, if they want a quick one by all means go for it, but if a player within 10 yards intervenes and spoils the move then its a retake and enforced 10yards
obviously a little common sense needs to be applied and you have to assess the ensuing action after the kick has been taken

 

[HoofItYouDonkey]

i like to treat it like advantage, if they want a quick one by all means go for it, but if a player within 10 yards intervenes and spoils the move then its a retake and enforced 10yards
obviously a little common sense needs to be applied and you have to assess the ensuing action after the kick has been taken

Not sure I agree with this...If a team wants to take a quick free kick and kick it straight to an opposition player, unlucky. However, if an opposition player deliberately prevents the kick from taking place, then he gets a card.

 

[richard ramjane]

Not sure I agree with this...If a team wants to take a quick free kick and kick it straight to an opposition player, unlucky. However, if an opposition player deliberately prevents the kick from taking place, then he gets a card.

sorry, yes i'd agree with those points but to not be contradictory to my thoughts, if oppo is stationary and the ball is kicked to them then thats tough on the taker and we play on, advantage over
if oppo actively disrupts the attack in what one would normally consider fair timescale during open play advantage, then its a retake
but if a player prevents the kick altogether then a card.... sound reasonable ?

 

[SLI39]

sorry, yes i'd agree with those points but to not be contradictory to my thoughts, if oppo is stationary and the ball is kicked to them then thats tough on the taker and we play on, advantage over
if oppo actively disrupts the attack in what one would normally consider fair timescale during open play advantage, then its a retake
but if a player prevents the kick altogether then a card.... sound reasonable ?

Yes, I'm partial to this interpretation. Sometimes it is difficult to discuss these tricky issues in theory without confusing oneself! Yet if such a scenario were extended during a match, I would have little problem recognising when a retake was required and when play should continue.

I suppose a further question on corners/free-kicks would be whether simply staying in the vicinity constitutes a bookable offence given the expectation of a quick play. Is it assumed they know their obligation to retreat 10 yards, or do they have a right to stand their ground until the referee gets involved? Would you always pull it back if the opponent received the ball from this by accident? If you're not booking them for C4/5, surely it's difficult to justify the retake? Sorry in advance for complicating the matter.

 

[CapnBloodbeard]

i like to treat it like advantage, if they want a quick one by all means go for it, but if a player within 10 yards intervenes and spoils the move then its a retake and enforced 10yards
obviously a little common sense needs to be applied and you have to assess the ensuing action after the kick has been taken

That's not the right approach. If the player within 10 yards is preventing a fair chance of releasing the kick (say, has approached the ball, not retreating, or moves to block the ball BEFORE it's put into play), then it's a caution. If not, then the attacking team wear the responsibility if it's intercepted.

 

[Jacko]

In general, if they haven't taken a free kick by the time I've got there its not a quick free kick. As soon as I'm on the ball 99 times out of 100, where the other team are organising their defense / wall. It's on the whistle.

 

[xPositor]

In general, if they haven't taken a free kick by the time I've got there its not a quick free kick. As soon as I'm on the ball 99 times out of 100, where the other team are organising their defense / wall. It's on the whistle.

So that means that all free kicks in the centre circle are on the whistle then?

 

[richard ramjane]

That's not the right approach. If the player within 10 yards is preventing a fair chance of releasing the kick (say, has approached the ball, not retreating, or moves to block the ball BEFORE it's put into play), then it's a caution. If not, then the attacking team wear the responsibility if it's intercepted.

I totally agree If there's deliberate encroachment.
I guess with respect to the OP though there had been enough time passed for any players within the 10 yards to make a move away from the position of the FK

 

[Jacko]

So that means that all free kicks in the centre circle are on the whistle then?

You know that's not what I meant.

In an around the box, where they're likely to take a shot. By the time I get there, if they say to me can we have it quick because they see the goalie setting up his wall and want to chip him or just score an easy goal. Or make a pass to dumbfound the defense. I will just say "If you were taking it quick you'd of taken it by now. On the whistle." Then it's a ceremonial FK.

 

[bloovee]

Happy New Year...

On a quick glance through the thread everyone's talking about defenders "not retreating". What if - perhaps in response to a coach shouting "Stand on it!" - they go toward the ball to stop a quick FK? On the face of it, that's clearly an attempt to delay the restart so is cautionable even before the FK is taken, and if I hear that, I'll say "it's you gets the yellow not him"; in practice it just reduces the tolerance level if the ball does hit him (but tolerance level goes up if the attacker deliberately kicks the ball at the encroaching defender). It really turns on whether the defender "didn't retreat" or "approached", on whether that act stopped the attacker playing a quick FK in one direction, and whether any defender within ten yards did anything to intercept the ball - so in theory a defender five yards away could play a ball kicked straight at him but couldn't move to intercept a FK miskicked and rolling slowly past him (but one coming to the ball from ten yards away could...)

Maybe a bit of "overthinking" there...

I start from the premise that players will retreat when the FK is awarded and a quick FK is always a possibility - and me telling defenders to get back does not make it a "ceremonial". If the attackers ask for the ten yards, that makes it a ceremonial and they only take the FK on the whistle. (And - as mentioned in a "seen on TV" post - if the spray comes out, it should be the equivalent of showing the whistle, and would be wrong to let the FK be taken without the restart signal.)

 

[HRW]

Gents, if you want to take a quick free kick by all means do so, but don't come whinging at me if you lose possession you took it quickly. On the other hand, if I tell you we are waiting on the whistle then we'll wait all day if needs be, and I'll bring it back accordingly. Don't stand over their ball and I will not let them stand over yours. And let's take an educated guess at how far 10 yards is please - from me to him (whichever player is furtherst away) is about X yards.