1. Direct free kick
The provision as it is printed, and everything on Ruleside that turns on it.
A direct free kick is awarded if a player commits any of the following offences:
Verdicts that turn on it 16
Walk a practice scenario to any of these and this clause is part of the answer.
- A warning, then a caution, and a penalty kick only once the ball is in playoff-the-ball
- Direct free kick, or a penalty kickoff-the-ball
- Holding: a direct free kick, or a penalty kick in the offender's own areaoff-the-ball
- No handball offence: the goalkeeper in their own penalty areahandball
- Handball: deliberate touch after deflectionhandball
- Handball: deliberatehandball
- Handball: unnatural positionhandball
- Handball: arm extended before fallhandball
- Handball: arm above shoulder in jumphandball
- Handball: arm held unnaturally while runninghandball
- Handball: arms raised in wallhandball
- Goal disallowed: scored off the scorer's own hand or armhandball
- No handball, and the holding is the offencehandball
- No offence: a player is entitled to the position they are inoff-the-ball
- Not offside: this one is punished under Law 12offside
- No red card: the force was negligiblefoul-sanction
Explained in the rules library 5
The plain-language pages that build on this provision.
Applied in these incidents 5
Real decisions where this clause decided what should have happened.
Questions that ask it 8
Points in a walk where the reader is deciding this provision.
- How was the challenge made?foul-sanction
- What is the offence being claimed as a penalty?foul-sanction
- Was the opponent held off with the arms or body?off-the-ball
- handoff_penalty_handballfoul-sanction
- Was the player the goalkeeper, inside their own penalty area?handball
- Was the arm out beyond what holding the opponent needed?handball
- Was it a bite or a spit, or a hand or arm to the head or face?foul-sanction
- Was the force negligible?foul-sanction
The Laws of the Game are published by The IFAB and quoted here for the purpose of explaining the decisions on this site. Ruleside is not affiliated with The IFAB or FIFA. Every clause of Fouls and Misconduct that Ruleside cites.