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Post by Steven Gerrard on Dec 1, 2014 8:25:29 GMT -6
I have one better on this guy. He told players in this game who attempted to get on the ball when an opposing team was awarded a free kick, "Don't even try it!" Really, when did refs start requesting 10 yards on a free kick for the attacking team, it's the attacking players task to request the 10 yards. I agree this warning may have been appropriate if the defending player refused to move away from the ball placed for a free kick, but this was not the case. This would then constitute a delay, but not before then. Well, since the law REQUIRES players to retreat 10 yards, what the referee is doing is called taking preventive action, something that USSF and LSA are working to implement across all levels and getting referees to accept and get comfortable doing. Some are good at it and it is recognizable when they do it - sounds like this is the case here. I'm an instructor, this is covered heavily in law 5 referees powers and duties when I teach a class. A word now to a player about something like this stops the player from aN action that could result in a card. Why wouldn't we want officials to do this? It has been at least 5 years since USSF changed this, at least 4 for high school, and yet there is still this myth among players and spectators that the offense must ask. The ref was right on the money. How many times have you seen defending teams stand right in front of the ball to delay the restart? They have no right to do so. The laws state that they "must be" 10 yards away and the attacking team does not have to ask. Think about it. The defending team is the one that committed the penalty and stopped the game (to the detriment of the attacking team). Why should they be allowed to delay the restart? As Happy said, a quick word of warning to the teams the first time it happens. After that, a yellow for delay (IMO).
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