The Ref Stop

Free-Kicks within the Penalty Area

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Swinno94

Swinno94

Active Member
Level 5 Referee
Question for you new refs that popped up on a Local Level 3's Laws of the game exam.

Does the Ball on a free-kick have to leave the penalty area? Whether it be in direct or direct
 
The Ref Stop
• the ball is in play when it is kicked and clearly moves except for a free kick to the defending team in their penalty area where the ball is in play when it is kicked directly out of the penalty area

It's one of the most common misconceptions in the LOTG that only a goal kick must leave the penalty area.
 
Technically any team with a free kick is an attacking team no matter where its taken from. After all you can score directly from any DFK, or after a touch by another player from any IFK. So the clause in law is better put if the term "the defending team" was replaced with "a team".
 
cwyeary said:
• the ball is in play when it is kicked and clearly moves except for a free kick to the defending team in their penalty area where the ball is in play when it is kicked directly out of the penalty area

It's one of the most common misconceptions in the LOTG that only a goal kick must leave the penalty area.
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Which is something I've never understood. Both provisions have been around for almost exactly the same length of time - for goal kicks it was introduced in 1936, for other free kicks it was 1937.
 
Peter Grove said:
Which is something I've never understood. Both provisions have been around for almost exactly the same length of time - for goal kicks it was introduced in 1936, for other free kicks it was 1937.
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I think the simple reason is that a team may have dozens of goal kicks in a game. Even then, ones that don't leave the area are rarely seen. But free kicks to a defending team in their own PA are a great deal rarer, and so players almost never see this Law in action.
 
Imagine instructing an offensive team the the ball must first leave the penalty area before another player can touch it. Goalkeepers would be picking up pass backs without a worry in the world
 
They must have lowered the difficulty of the L3 exam, I certainly don't recall anything that easy when I did it … :)
 
Perhaps the easier questions are because of the 30%% failure last season. Apparently they have stopped asking questions relating to competition rules and even called some back after the exam to make sure they passed.
 
bester said:
Perhaps the easier questions are because of the 30%% failure last season. Apparently they have stopped asking questions relating to competition rules and even called some back after the exam to make sure they passed.
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Well, the basic exam is online thesedays and you're allowed the law book when doing it I think. - Probably not in England though?
 
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