Question:
While waiting for the attacking team to take its corner kick, the attackers and defenders are in the penalty area jockeying for position. What rules apply to the attackers, defenders and goalkeeper during this time period, before the kick is actually taken, in regards to establishing a position? I have seen attackers deliberately standing and jumping in front of the goalkeeper in order to try and block the view of the corner kick. I have also seen pushing, shoving, pulling, and bumping by attackers and defenders, who are trying to stay in front of the other player and who are trying to block the other player. Is this misconduct? Is this cautionable? Should a referee take some action to stop this type of activity?

USSF answer (October 23, 2008):
Except under certain conditions spelled out in the Laws (such as at a penalty kick or throw-in or goal kick), a player is permitted to stand wherever he or she wishes. After the ball is put in play, a player who — without playing or attempting to play the ball — jumps up and down in front of the goalkeeper to block the ‘keeper’s vision or otherwise interferes with the ‘keeper’s ability to play the ball is committing the foul of impeding an opponent. If there is contact initiated by the player doing this, the foul becomes holding or pushing. When such activity occurs, the referee should immediately stop the restart and warn the players to conduct themselves properly. If, after the warning (and before the restart), they do it anyway, they have committed unsporting behavior and should be cautioned. The restart remains the same.

Before the ball is in play, the referee can simply allow the opponent of the ‘keeper to impede, wait for the corner kick to occur, blow the whistle, award an indirect free kick coming out, and card if needed.  This is the “harsh” approach and it carries the danger, provided the jostling doesn’t sufficiently enrage the the goalkeeper (or any other defender), that the tensions pr violence will escalate to something more serious.  It is also not a good approach when it is an attacker who is doing the jostling.

The referee can see the situation developing and verbally and/or by a closer presence encourage correct behavior on the part of the jostlers in the hope that they will cease their misbehavior.  This is the “proactive” (some would call it the “wimpy”) approach and is more likely to prevent escalation, if it works. If it doesn’t work, the referee can always hold up the corner kick, caution, and then signal the restart or go to the option above.…

Question:
Recently, I was an AR at a match held on an artificial turf field, which are becoming quite common here where I live. The field was equipped with corner flags, each made of a thin fiberglass rod attached to a 4″ X 4″ metal plate base.

The conditions were very windy that day, so that the corner flags were leaning over to the extent that the tip of the corner flag was about 1 to 2 feet off the ground.

During the taking of a corner kick (at my corner), the kicker complained that the wind was blowing the flag into the field of play and would interfere with her kick. Since I had already seen another flag completely blown over, with the base of the corner flag in a vertical position, I decided it would be best to set the flag away from the field and continue without a corner flag at that corner. Immediately, the CR told me that the corner flag must stay on the corner regardless of any of the existing circumstances/conditions. Not wanting to make a scene, I put the flag back and we continued the game without incident.

My question is, should we allow the use of said flags under such windy conditions? Also, should the referee ever assist the kicker in holding a leaning flag(being bent by the wind) out of the way?

Thank you for your valued service to American soccer.

USSF answer (December 10, 2007):
Safety of the players must be the referee’s first concern. While the corner flags are indeed compulsory, they must meet the requirements of Law 1. If the flags do not stand at least five feet tall, then they may not be used and must be removed because they are dangerous.

The following excerpt from the Advice to Referees is applicable here:

1.6 NO PLAYER MODIFICATIONS TO THE FIELD

Goalkeepers or other players may not make unauthorized marks on the field of play. The player who makes such marks or alterations on the field to gain an unfair advantage may be cautioned for unsporting behavior. Players may return bent or leaning corner flags to the upright position, but they may not bend or lean them away from the upright position to take a corner kick, nor may the corner flag be removed for any reason.

If returning the flag to an upright position is not a viable solution (because of wind or poorly-made equipment), then removal of the flag — with the permission of the referee — is permitted because the flag does not meet the requirement of being at least 1.5 m (5 ft) high. If a flexible flag consistently or constantly bends below that height, then it does not meet the requirement and is dangerous to the players and other participants. This would include a flag that bent outside the field with the wind, as the kicker might be placed in danger.

A player may not bend the flag away from the upright position to take a corner kick or to play the ball that has run into the corner.…

Question:
When taking corner kick , why do we have arc in corner ? Does the ball after to go outside the arc to be in play?

USSF answer (November 13, 2007):
The arc in the corner is to keep the ball within one yard/meter of the intersection of the goal line and the touchline. The ball must be kicked and move an undefined but perceptible distance from “here” to “there.”…

Question:
In a game I was refereeing, a team tried to take a corner kick with one player toe-touching the ball without the ball moving and another player taking off with it on a dribble. I called for a re-start asking the players to actually move the ball.

What is the correct ruling for restarts on corner kicks and indirect free kicks? Does the ball need to rotate or be passed with the foot in order to have a legal re-start? Toe-Taps? Are they still legal?

Answer (October 15, 2007):
It is clear that you will be a good referee, as your instincts meet the gap in your knowledge. Now it’s simply a case of bringing your knowledge up to the level of your instincts.

In the USSF publication “Advice to Referees on the Laws of the Game” you will find this excerpt, ATR 13.5, which deals with when the ball is in play. It also applies to corner kicks. (And to answer your specific question: No, toe-taps are not legal, and never really were.)

13.5 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 a touch of the ball with the foot in a kicking motion. Simply tapping the top of the ball with the foot or stepping on the ball are not sufficient.

When the restart of play is based on the ball being kicked and moved, the referee must ensure that the ball is indeed kicked (touched with the foot in a kicking motion) and moved (caused to go from one place to another). Being “kicked” does not include an action in which the ball is dragged by continuous contact with the foot. Being “moved” does not include the ball simply quivering, trembling, or shaking as a result of light contact. The referee must make the final decision on what is and is not “kicked and moved” based on the spirit and flow of the match. In all events, the ball must be put into play properly.

The referee must judge carefully whether any particular kick of the ball and subsequent movement was indeed reasonably taken with the intention of putting the ball into play rather than with the intention merely to position the ball for the restart. If the ball is just being repositioned (even if the foot is used to do this), play has not been restarted. Likewise, referees should not unfairly punish for “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.

The referee must make the final decision on what is a “kick” and what is “not a kick” based on his or her feeling for the game-what FIFA calls “Fingerspitzengefuehl” (literally: “sensing with one’s fingertips”). The bottom line is that not everything that produces movement of the ball is a kick and thus would not legally put the ball into play in any of the kicking restarts.

Question:
FIFA’s Laws of the Game states that on a Corner Kick “the ball is placed inside the corner arc…”. My question is: Does “inside the corner arc” mean that the ball cannot touch any part of the goal line, side line or arc marking? Or does it mean that any part of the ball touching any part of the goal line, side line or arc marking is considered “inside the arc”? Inside the “Field of Play” is any part of the ball still touching the goal line or side line. Would not the same interpretation hold true for the goal line, side line or corner arc marking when taking a Corner Kick? For that matter, would the same hold true for the placement of the ball for a Penalty Kick, i.e. the ball can be placed anywhere, as long as the ball is still touching the Penalty Kick marking?USSF answer (April 16, 2007):
On a corner kick, the ball need only break the plane of the arc or the touch- or goal lines to be considered in the proper position.

On a penalty kick, the ball must be ON the penalty mark.…

Question:
Does the ball need to be stationary in the goal area before it can be kicked? A parent on my team said that she witnessed in a game that her daughter was refereeing a keeper that was rolling the ball out and a defender kicking the ball into play while the ball was still moving in the goal area.ÂI have looked this question up in “Advice to Referees”, “FIFA Laws of the Game” and the 2006 question and answers and cannot find in any of these publications that the ball has to be stationary only that it has to be on the ground in the goal area.

USSF answer (April 11, 2007):
The fact that the ball is stationary at a goal kick is one of those things that the makers of the Laws, the International F. A. Board (IFAB), have left out, because they assume that “everyone knows” that the ball must be stationary. (In fact, if you had been watching one of the EPL games yesterday on Fox Soccer Channel, you would have seen the referee make the kicking team take a goal kick again, simply because the goalkeeper had kicked the ball while it was still moving.)

Here is an answer we gave back on September 26, 2005 that explains the technicalities of the matter:
An excellent question. Nowhere does it state specifically that the ball must be stationary for goal kicks, but it is implied in Law 17 for corner kicks (and in Law 14 for penalty kicks). The specific statements in Laws 8 and 13 that the ball be stationary for the start and restart of play and free kicks also imply that the ball must be stationary for all kick restarts. (Note: This answer was first published on July 9, 2001. Nothing has changed since that time.)

Law 8
Procedure
//snip//
* the ball is stationary on the center mark
//snip//
* the ball is in play when it is kicked and moves forward

//snip//

Law 13

Types of Free Kicks
//snip//
For both direct and indirect free kicks, the ball must be stationary when the kick is taken and the kicker does not touch the ball a second time until it has touched another player.

Law 14
//snip//
Position of the Ball and the Players
The ball:
* is placed on the penalty mark

Law 16
Procedure
* the ball is kicked from any point within the goal area by a player of the defending team
//snip//
[the inference here being that if the ball was at “any point” it was stationary, but you could probably argue that one either way]

Law 17
Procedure
* the ball is placed inside the corner arc at the nearest corner flagpost
[the inference here (and in Law 14) is that if the ball is “placed,” it is stationary]
//snip//
* the ball is in play when it is kicked and moves
//snip//

In all cases of a kick restart, the ball must be stationary before being kicked. It is not in play until it has been kicked and moves (forward in the case of kick-off and penalty kick).…