[EMarcel]

What is the easiest way to distinguish between
direct and indirect free kicks?????
There has to be an easy way to remember the difference. HELP!

signed
Newly licensed frustrated Ref

[IASocFan]

Hand ball and contact fouls are direct. Indirect usually doesn't involve direct contact - like offside, dangerous play, UnSporting Behavior (including goalkeeper improper handling), playing the ball twice on freekicks, corners, or kickoffs, and obstruction (getting in the way - as opposed to pushing someone out of the way).

[whipple]

Originally posted by EMarcel
What is the easiest way to distinguish between
direct and indirect free kicks?????
There has to be an easy way to remember the difference. HELP!

signed
Newly licensed frustrated Ref

I = Infraction/Indirect

D= Deed/Direct

The reason we have indirect free kick restarts goes back to a founding principle of soccer that the outcome of the match must be resolved soley by the actions of the players, on the field, during play. Noone, including the refree is allowed to interfere with this.

Therefore, when the referee stops play because there has been an infraction of the Laws, such as offside, playing in a dangerous manner, impeding the progress of an opponent, or because the referee needed to deal with misconduct, then we cannot allow a goal to be socred as a result of our restart, since that would direclty effect play, so the restart must be indirect, and the ball is not actually in play until touched by a second player.

On the other hand when the Deeds of a player Disadvantage an opponent or it is the Deliberate Deed of handling the ball which Disadvantages an opponent, then the role of the referee is to stop these Deeds and restart the game so that the ball goes back to the disadvantaged team and they can directly continue with their play. Here we are not interfering but just setting thiings right again, after a penal foul, so all such restarts are direct.

D for Deeds, I for Infractions and you should have no problems, unless you do NF where a foul off the ball is restarted with an IFK.