Just like it is in other sports, soccer has rules that define how players should play. In the course of a soccer match, you will notice the referee stopping the game and having it resume moments later. Why is this the case? The reason for the sudden stopping of the game can either be because of the need to take a direct or an indirect free kick. Essentially, when players commit infraction or fouls, the referee blows the whistle for the game to stop. Stopping the game means that the referee has to respond to the foul play. It is at this point that the referee gives either a direct or indirect free kick depending on the nature of the foul or infringement. From the beginning of a soccer match to the end, referees have to be keen to spot any foul play.
So, what makes a free kick direct or indirect in soccer? From the onset, it’s important to take note that there are fundamental distinctions between the direct and indirect free kicks. The most common free kick is the direct free kick. Why is this so? Well, soccer fans may notice a direct free kick more easily than an indirect one. Nevertheless, both free kicks play significant roles in a game of soccer.
It’s interesting to take note that there’s more to a direct and an indirect free kick than what an ordinary soccer fan would know. Actually, there’s a history to the concept of a free kick. The free kick rule has gone through transitions over the years. This is an intriguing fact that soccer fans need to know about. Also, there are rules related to both types of free kicks and designated procedures of taking them. It is the fundamental rules and procedures related to the direct and indirect free kicks that create the differences between them.
The History of the Free Kick
The history of the free kick as part of a soccer game dates back to the 1870s. In 1872, a free kick was given in response to the handling of the ball in a manner that’s against the rules of the game. Upon the awarding of the free kick, a goal could not be scored directly. The 1872 free kick rule didn’t define the rules for taking a free kick. Therefore, this led to the amendment of the rules required when a player is taking a free kick. The rules stated that the ball has to be on the ground and the players of the opposing team should be at least 6 yards from the ball. In 1887, the rules stated that the ball had to roll over for a referee to consider it as having been played. Further amendments to the rule came into effect in 1895 stating that the ball had to move an equivalent of its circumference for it to be in play.
The introduction of the penalty kick came in 1891. Unlike the free kick, a player could score a goal directly with the penalty kick. Of great interest still, the introduction of the direct free kick in 1903 marked a major development in the game of soccer. The direct free kick was awarded for similar offences that led to the awarding of a penalty kick. There were later developments to the rules of the free kick in 1913. Upon the subsequent developments, the distance that the opposing players had to be away from the ball increased from 6 yards to 10 yards.
In 2019, a rule stated that the members of the team taking a free kick were not allowed to stand within 1 meter of the wall made by the opposing team. The history of the free kick shows that both the direct and the indirect free kicks have gone through developments to reach their current states today. This is evidence to the evolution that the game of soccer has gone through over the years.
What Causes an Indirect Free Kick?
There are different scenarios that lead to the awarding of an indirect free kick in soccer. To begin with, it’s important to take note that a goalkeeper or any other player can cause an indirect free kick. A goalkeeper can cause an indirect free kick if he or she does the following in the penalty box of the defending team:
- Touches the ball, for a second time, with the hands after releasing it from possession and before it comes off another player’s possession.
- Touches the ball with the hands after being intentionally kicked to him or her by a teammate.
- Touches the soccer ball with hands after a teammate makes a throw-in directly to him or her.
A referee can also give an indirect free kick to the opposing team in the event that a player does the following offenses:
- Stops the movement of an opponent
- Plays in a manner deemed to be dangerous
- Stops the goalkeeper from playing the ball from his hands
- Commits an infringement that forces play to stop to caution or send off the player
What is the Procedure of Taking an Indirect Free Kick?
Usually, when a referee awards an indirect free kick, the kick should be taken from where the offense or foul happened. When a player is taking the free kick, the ball should be stationary and the player taking it shouldn’t touch the ball again once he or she makes the first touch. However, the player can touch the ball again if the ball comes into contact with another player.
It is also imperative to talk about the scoring of a goal from an indirect free kick. Normally, a player who kicks a free kick cannot score a goal directly from an indirect free kick. This is unlike a direct free kick where an attacking player can score directly into the goal without the ball coming into contact with any player. For a goal scored from an indirect free kick to count, it has to touch another player before it goes into the net. In the event that an indirect free kick goes directly into the goal of the opposing team, a referee awards a goal kick to the opposing team. Also, in the event that kicking an indirect free kick goes directly into the kicker’s own goal, the opposing team wins a corner.
Is there a Signal to Indicate an Indirect Free Kick?
You could be asking if there is any signal a referee shows to indicate an indirect free kick. Yes, there is. When an offense warranting an indirect free kick happens, the referee officiating the game raises an arm in the air and it remains in that position until a player kicks the ball and it touches another player or the ball goes out of play.
Indirect Free Kicks inside the Box
A good number of soccer fans may not know much about a free kick awarded in the penalty area in favor of the attacking team. It is possible for a fan to have watched many games but has never seen an indirect free kick in the box. According to such a fan, the only free kick that happens in the box, in favor of the attacking team, is the penalty. However, this isn’t always the case. The issue here is that while a penalty happens more often, you can watch a substantive amount of matches without seeing the referee awarding an indirect free kick in the box.
Normally, if a goalkeeper commits any of the following actions inside the penalty box, the resulting action is an indirect free kick:
- Takes more than 4 steps controlling the ball with his hands before releasing possession to a teammate
- Touches the ball for the second time after releasing it from his hands without coming into contact with another player
- Touching the ball with his hands after a teammate deliberately kicks it to him
- Coming into contact with the ball using hands after receiving a throw-in pass from a teammate
The reason why indirect free kicks in the box, caused by goalkeepers’ offenses, are not common is because goalkeepers rarely make the afore-mentioned mistakes. Contrary to other players in the field, goalkeepers are not usually under pressure to commit offenses inside the box. However, take note that a goalkeeper can cause a penalty kick, which is different from an indirect free kick.
Apart from the offenses committed by a goalkeeper in the box, another player from the defending team can also cause an indirect free kick. For example, if a defender, in the event of clearing the ball commits an infraction without coming into contact with a player from the attacking team, the referee can award an indirect free kick. The key thing here is infringement without contact. The difference between this scenario and a penalty is that for a referee to award a penalty, the infringement must have contact with the fouled player.
Is Offside Direct Or Indirect Free Kick?
If an offside happens, the referee gives an indirect free kick. The indirect free kick happens where the offense occurred.
How Frequently an Indirect Free Kick Happens
Indirect free kicks happen frequently during a football match. Given that they can happen in any part of the soccer pitch, they happen often. Especially, if players are caught offside many times in a match, indirect free kicks will be many as well.
What Causes a Direct Free Kick?
The direct free kick is the most common in the soccer world. Perhaps, the reason why it’s well known by soccer fans is because a player can score directly from it. A referee awards a direct free kick when a player commits an offense. Here is a list of the offenses that leads to a direct free kick:
- When a player kicks or tries to kick an opponent
- When a player pushes an opponent
- Dangerous tackle
- Spitting at an opposing player
- Preventing the movement of an opposing player with physical contact
- Intentional handling of the ball with a hand by a player who isn’t a goalkeeper
- Tripping or attempting to stumble an opposing player
- Holding an opposing player
- Jumping at a player from the other team
- Charging at a member of the opposing team
If a player happens to commit any of the above-mentioned offenses, a referee gives a direct free kick. The player who commits the offense can be warned, booked, or send off depending on the circumstances surrounding the foul. If an offense committed by the defensive team inside their penalty area results to a direct free kick, the referee awards a penalty kick. If the offense happens elsewhere on the pitch, the referee awards a direct free kick. The direct kick in the penalty area (penalty) is what the team defending dreads the most because the chances of scoring a goal are high compared to one awarded from any other place on the soccer pitch.
The Procedure of Taking a Direct Free Kick
Once a referee awards a direct free kick, the ball should be played where the offense occurred. It’s not uncommon to see players trying to move the ball a few yards from the right spot for their advantage. The referee shouldn’t allow the ball to be played from any other position other than where the offense occurred. The ball has to be stationary before a player kicks it. If the referee perceives the ball to be moving before a player kicks it, he has the right to stop the play and make sure that it is played in the right way. The team defending the free kick should be at least 10 yards from the position of the ball.
The defending team puts up a defensive wall to protect the goal area. The team is allowed to line up some of its players to prevent the attacking player from scoring a goal from the free kick position. The idea behind the wall is for the defending team members to jump as high as they can to block the ball from entering their goal. As the defensive wall protects one side of the goal, the goalkeeper protects the other side to prevent the attacking team from scoring. In a bid to try and open up space for the ball to pass through, the attacking team places some of their players alongside the wall. The vanishing spray helps to ensure that the procedure of taking a direct free kick is followed.
The vanishing spray comes in handy to ensure that players don’t encroach the positioning of the ball and the positioning of the defensive players. A referee can use the spray out of his own discretion. The spray prevents the players playing the direct free kick from moving the ball forward. It also prevents the defending players from moving or changing the spot of the defensive wall. Since a player can score directly from the free kick, the spray helps to avoid unfair advantage. Moving the ball forward can increase the chances of scoring a goal unfairly. In the same vein, altering the positioning of the defensive wall can deny the attacking team a chance of scoring from the direct free kick. Therefore, the spray is important in modern-day soccer to promote fairness.
What Happens with a Quick free Kick?
There is also a situation where the attacking team can choose to play a quick free kick. Normally, it is the decision of the referee to allow a direct free kick to be taken quickly or not. A quick free kick means that the team awarded the free kick can take it without any formation. The best case scenario when a team can take a quick free kick is when the referee isn’t talking to, booking, or sending off a player after giving away the free kick. If the attacking team decides to take a quick free kick, the defending players don’t have to be at least 10 yards away from the ball.
The risk of taking a quick free kick is that the play can go wrong and the attacking team ends up losing the advantage they had. The advantage of waiting for the formation before playing the ball is that the attacking team has time to devise a plan that could produce a goal. Another advantage with the normal free kick is that the attacking team can ask to retake the play if the opposing team fails to be at least 10 yards from the ball. On the contrary, a referee doesn’t give the attacking team this privilege if they choose to go for the quick free kick.
From the above discussion, it’s certain that both direct and indirect free kicks are important in the game of soccer. They have different rules and circumstances that lead to referees awarding them. Though they are different in fundamental ways, they play pivotal roles in ensuring that the game of soccer goes on as it should. Certainly, information about free kicks is of great interest for all involved in the sport in one way or another.