Law 17 - The Corner Kick

WHICH SIDE FOR CORNER KICKS?

Question:
I have a question about corner kicks that came up in a tournament match this weekend. The ball was last touched by the defending team and then went over the goal line to the left

I always thought that the corner kick must be taken from the nearest corner, and that it was not an option to move the ball to the other side. I checked the FIFA web site and found the following regarding law 17, which supports my view point.

Was the referee wrong in allowing the team to take the kick from the far corner instead of the near corner?

Assuming your answer is that the kick must be taken from the nearest corner, then could field conditions be taken into account for an exception. Let's say that one corner is totally saturated with water and the other is dry. If the ball went out on the wet side, could it then be moved to the dry side for the corner kick. In our situation, the left footed player simply wanted to take the kick with the wind behind him and from the right side, instead of into the wind from the left. It made it easier to banana ball it in for him.

Answer (May 24, 2001):
As you correctly point out, Law 17 requires that the corner kick be taken from the corner nearest to the place where the ball left the field. The referee was mistaken in allowing the kicking team to move the ball to the other side of the field, whatever his reasoning may have been for that decision.

Field conditions should not be taken into consideration for the placement of any restart. If the referee declares that the field is playable, then that includes all parts of the field and means that the field is safe enough for any restart to be taken where the Law specifies it should occur. But if the referee declares that one spot on the field is not playable, then the entire field must be declared unplayable and the game abandoned.

RETAKING A CORNER KICK

Question:
I have a question for you that I came across while reviewing "Laws of the Game". In Law 17 "The Corner Kick" it says "In the event of any other infringement (other than the ones listed): the kick is to be retaken". Does that mean that if a foul is committed by defense before the ball is touched, goes into the goal or goes out of bounds the corner kick is to be retaken?

Answer (September 2, 2009):
No, that is not accurate. All possibilities for infringements AFTER the ball is in play were covered in the preceding bullet points. This section refers to infringements that occur before the ball has been kicked and moved into play. That would be misconduct by one team or the other.

The same principle applies to all restarts: If something untoward occurs before the ball has been put into play and (1) the ball is subsequently put into play before the referee can stop it or (2) the ball is not put into play, nothing can change the original restart, which must be completed in order for the game to continue.

TRICK CORNER KICK PLAY

Question:
Ok, I am reffing a U12 game where a corner kick is to be taken. The player lining up to take the kick yells to his teammate that it is his kick to take. The teammate runs over but before he gets there the player touches the ball ever so slightly off the corner arc, which I took no notice of. The teammate approaches the ball and begins dribbling it towards goal instead of launching a typical corner kick. I whistle the play dead and award an indirect free kick to the other team. The coaches start yelling that the 1st player touched the ball, and this was a trick play they had worked on, within the rules. Could I have cautioned the 1st player for unsporting behavior?

Answer (August 22, 2008):
If "touched ever so slightly off the corner arc" mean that the ball was in fact displaced, i. e., "caused to go from one place to another" and therefore legally put into play, then there is no problem with this play. Yes, the referee still makes the final decisionr about whether the ball was put into play, but this should not include factoring in the referee's inattention to what is happening on the field.

In the USSF publication "Advice to Referees on the Laws of the Game" (2008 edition, not yet available) 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, you should not caution either of the players.)

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" can include an action in which the ball is dragged by continuous contact with the foot. 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.

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 "Fingerspitzengefühl" (literally: "sensing with one's fingertips").

COACH PARTICIPATES IN DECEIVING THE DEFENDING TEAM

Question:
The rules clearly prohibit trickery in passing the ball back to your own goalie, but is any other trickery either a foul or misconduct (in a league where cards may be shown to a coach for misconduct). My reading of the rules says it is not a foul per se, but could it be considered unsporting behavior?

Here is my situation. I call for a corner kick. Player A1 goes over to the ball and his coach calls out to him to let Player A2 take the kick; player A1 then taps the ball in the direction of Player A2, and leaves the area. Player A2 comes over and plays the ball rather than resets up the corner, dribbling directly to the goal. I felt the coach's call to his players led everyone, including the referee to believe that A1 was not playing or passing the ball but just sending it over to his teammate to have him take the corner kick. Could this be considered unsporting behavior by the coach in a league where coaches can be carded; in a league where they cannot be carded? Or is this just a stupid question?

Answer (October 21 2008):
Your use of the term "trickery" is incorrect. "Trickery" is a "term of art" which has a specific meaning related to attempts to circumvent the restriction on 'keeper handling following a teammate's deliberate play of the ball with the foot or a throw-in by a teammate. Nothing else can be described as trickery. Whatever else a player might do to obfuscate, disorient, or fool opponents has to be analyzed apart from the issue of trickery.

The players on the kicking team are allowed to deceive, fool, or disorient their opponents, but that does not include the kicking team's coach. If it is clear to the referee that the coach's words were intended to help his team deceive the opposing team, then that could be considered to be irresponsible behavior.

While the league's rules may allow carding of coaches, we need to remember that the Laws of the Game do not. By accepting a game in a competition whose rules mandate unauthorized actions, the referee also assumes the responsibility for enforcing those mandates.

Under the Laws of the Game team officials may only be expelled, not sent off and shown a card, for irresponsible behavior. If the rules of the competition allow a caution or a send-off for irresponsible behavior, they should also outline what constitutes each offense, so that the referee is able to do the job correctly.

What we can say is that coaches are allowed to give positive input to their players. Coaches ARE NOT ALLOWED to participate in any trickery or ruses. If they do so, that is irresponsible behavior, not unsporting behavior, and coaches or other team officials MUST be expelled for irresponsible behavior.

JOCKEYING FOR POSITION AT A CORNER KICK

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?

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 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.