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Law 17 - The Corner Kick

Aim is of this page is to recognise a correct corner kick and how to deal with any infringements.

1. Introduction:
2. Procedure:
3. Infringements/Sanctions:
4. Action by Referee and Assistant Referees: Including positioning.
5. Questions and Answers:

1. Introduction: Go to the top of this page

Before 1913 when a corner was taken, instead of deciding on an inswinger, outswinger or taking a short one, there was nothing to stop a player dribbling the ball by himself. The rules were changed after several players teed themselves up before scoring.(FIFA)

A corner kick is a method of restarting play.

A goal may be scored directly from a corner kick, but only against the opposing team.

You can not be offside direct from a corner kick.

A corner kick is awarded when:

the whole of the ball, having last touched a player of the defending team, passes over the goal line, either on the ground or in the air, and a goal is not scored in accordance with Law 10

2. Procedure: Go to the top of this page

the ball is placed inside the corner arc at the nearest corner flag post from where the ball left the field of play. The ball must be inside the quarter circle, or be on the quarter circle line - this includes when the ball is partly outside but hanging over one of the lines. As long as part of the ball touches or overhangs the line of the quarter circle, the corner kick is legal. The quarter circle line itself is part of the arc area, therefore the ball is only outside of that area, when the whole of the ball is outside of the vertical plane of the line itself (the same applies to the touchline boundary line when a throw-in is awarded.) The ball only leaves any area of the field of play, when it has passed wholly over one of the boundary lines that encompasses that particular area.

This ball is deemed to be inside the corner arc area.

Inside an area

Not OK
This ball is deemed to be outside of the corner arc area.

Outside an area

the ball is placed inside the corner arc at the nearest corner flag post

When a corner kick is taken, what is the correct way to place the ball in the quarter circle?

The diagram illustrates 3 correct and 1 incorrect position.

The diagram illustrates some correct and incorrect positions.

the corner flag post is not moved or removed, and must remain upright.

opponents remain at least 9.15 m (10 yds) from the corner arc until it is in play. If players continue to encroach after they have been warned - caution them.

the ball is kicked by a player of the attacking team.

the ball is in play as soon as it kicked and moves. Only minimal movement is needed to bring the ball into play.

once the ball is in play, the kicker does not play the ball a second time until it has touched another player

the ball must be stationary prior to taking the corner kick

the player taking the corner kick can stand off the field, beyond the touch line or beyond the goal line.

3. Infringements/Sanctions: Go to the top of this page

Corner kick taken by a player other than the goalkeeper

If, after the ball is in play, the kicker touches the ball a second time (except with his hands), before it has touched another player:

an indirect free kick is awarded to the opposing team, the kick to be taken from the place where the infringement occurred

If, after the ball is in play, the kicker deliberately handles the ball before it has touched another player:

a direct free kick is awarded to the opposing team, the kick to be taken from the place where the infringement occurred

a penalty kick is awarded if the infringement occurred inside the kicker's penalty area

Corner kick taken by the goalkeeper

If, after the ball is in play, the goalkeeper touches the ball a second time (except with his hands) before it has touched another player:

an indirect free kick is awarded to the opposing team, the kick to be taken from the place where the infringement occurred

If, after the ball is in play, the goalkeeper deliberately handles the ball before it has touched another player:

a direct free kick is awarded to the opposing team if the infringement occurred outside the goalkeeper's penalty area, the kick to be taken from the place where the infringement occurred

an indirect free kick is awarded to the opposing team if the infringement occurred inside the goalkeeper's penalty area, the kick to be taken from the place where the infringement occurred

For any other infringement: Go to the top of this page

the kick is retaken

For example, if during the taking of a corner kick, the opponents encroach within ten yards of the quarter circle, the kick should be retaken - unless of course the team taking the corner kick have gained an advantage such as scoring direct from the corner kick - in this case, you should allow the goal.

If during the taking of a corner kick, the ball is kicked immediately over the goal line, the correct restart is a goal kick to the opposing team.

If during the taking of a corner kick, the ball is kicked immediately over the touch line, the correct restart is a throw-in to the opposing team.

4. Action by Referee and Assistant Referees: Go to the top of this page

The Referee should take the following actions during and after a corner kick has been awarded:

The Referee should signal the award of a corner kick by pointing an outstretched, 45 degree upwards arm towards the corner of the field of play where the corner kick is to be taken - and hold this signal for a minimum of 5 seconds. This will demonstrate to the players that you have awarded a corner kick, and from which side the corner kick should be taken from. It is important to place the arm at this acute upwards angle, towards the corner, else players may become confused and undecided as to whether a goal kick, a penalty kick or a corner has been awarded.

You do not necessarily have to blow your whistle when awarding every corner kick. You only need to blow the whistle if players are in any doubt as to whether you have decided that the ball has actually travelled out of play over the goal line for either a corner kick or a goal kick, and play must be stopped.

The Referee should signal the award of a corner kick by pointing an outstretched, 45 degree upwards arm towards the corner.

Once you have indicated a corner kick, move to the position you wish to be, during the taking of the corner. Keep a close eye on the players inside the penalty area before the corner kick has been taken. Players have a habit of trying to psyche up the opposition before a corner kick is taken - by jostling, pulling shirts, leaning, jumping up in front of the goal keeper, and generally running around in circles about like mad men etc..... You need about three pairs of eyes to see everything. Be aware also, of fouls committed whilst the ball is in flight following the taking of a corner kick.

The corner kick should be taken on the side of the field where the ball passed over the goal line. If you are in any doubt as to which side of the field the corner kick should be taken from, just make a positive decision one way or the other - does it really matter ??

Referee's Position during the taking of a corner kick: Go to the top of this page
Stand approximately in the shaded area at the opposite side to the Assistant Referee.
Also, see below for more detailed positioning instructions.

Try and position yourself so that the players are between you and the Assistant Referee.

Keep the following points in mind:

Try and position yourself so that the players are between you and the Assistant Referee.

Never take your eyes off the players immediately before a corner kick is taken. This is another common mistake made by new Referees. It only takes a second for a player to intimidate an opponent by pushing and shoving before the corner kick has even taken place - and all done when you (the Referee) are walking to your position with your back to the players !!

If players are misbehaving themselves before the corner kick has been taken, stop play immediately by blowing your whistle loudly, and strongly warn players about their unsporting conduct.

Do not stand anywhere in the goal area - unless you want your head knocked off !!

Always blow your whistle to signal that the corner kick can now be taken. (This is probably the only situation where I always blow my whistle. It gives players a clear signal that the corner kick is about to be taken, and prevents any misunderstanding should a goal be scored.)

If Assistant Referees are available, vary your position at each corner kick. If you take up the same position during all the corner kicks in a game, players will soon exploit this by fouling opponents on your blind side. Keep the players guessing by moving around during corner kicks.

It is not advised that Referees stand at the extreme end of their diagonal on the goal line, when corner kicks are taking place; because there is a danger that they will not be able to catch up with play if the ball suddenly breaks away to the other end of the field of play.

check that the corner kick taker has placed the ball correctly inside the quarter circle if the corner is being taken on the opposite side of the field of play to your Assistant Referee.

if the corner is being taken on on the opposite side of the field of play to your Assistant Referee, ensure that opposing players do not encroach within ten yards of the ball before the corner kick has been taken.

The Assistant Referee should take the following actions to signal to the Referee that the ball has passed over the goal line for a corner kick, and to check that the corner kick taker completes the kick correctly.

the normal signal for a corner kick, is to stand facing the field of play and point the flag downwards towards the base of the corner flag.

or

use body language by running around the corner flag and two or three yards towards the goal. If there is any dispute between players as to whether the ball has actually passed over the goal line for a corner kick - the Assistant Referee should use the previous flag method shown above. Using body language, allows the Referee a few moments to overrule the Assistant Referee, should he wish to do so. By using body language, players will generally not have a clue as the whether the Assistant Referee has indicated a goal kick or a corner kick, and this will prevent any misunderstanding should the Referee indicate a goal kick, and the Assistant Referee a corner kick !!!!!

check that the corner kick taker has placed the ball correctly inside the quarter circle if the corner is being taken on your side of the field of play.

position yourself either behind the corner flag post, or alongside the goal line depending on the Referee's instructions given to you at the beginning of the game. The general rule is that Assistant Referees will position themselves off the field of play behind the kicker, if the the kick is taking place on the Assistant Referees side of the field of play. If the kick is being taken on the far side of the field of play, the Assistant Referee will normally position himself on the goal line, about 10 yards down from the corner flag. This allows the Assistant Referee to act as goal judge, and to enable him to cut across the field of play and resume his position on the touchline to observe any offsides, if play should quickly break away upfield.

if the corner is being taken on your side of the field of play, ensure that opposing players do not encroach within ten yards of the ball before the corner kick has been taken.

judge whether the ball leaves the field of play whilst in its flight towards the penalty area.

judge whether the ball has crossed the goal line for a goal.

sprint back up the touchline to cover offside as soon as the play moves upfield.

See my Positioning Page for details of all Referee positions on the Field of Play

Figs. 3(a) & 3(b) . Corner Kick

During the taking of corner kicks, the Referee should position himself so that the players in the penalty area are between himself and the Assistant Referee. The aim is to have the play action within the penalty area between the Referee and the Assistant Referee.

To enable the Referee to have a clear view of the play area during the taking of a corner kick, the Referee should take up a varying position approximately within the dark dotted area at position (1).

Referees should not enter the goal area (6-yard box), and they should not wander too far to the right of position (1), and neither is there a requirement to enter the penalty area unless it is to deal with conflict, or to get into a better viewing position.

If the corner kick is taking place on the Assistant Referee's side of the field of play, Referees will normally ask their Assistant Referees (AR) to position themselves off the field of play behind the corner kick taker (see AR top right in Fig. 3a).

If the corner kick is being taken on the far side of the field of play to the Assistant Referee, the Referee will decide during his pre-match brief, which of the following two positions he wishes his Assistants to adopt during the taking of corner kicks. (1) On the goal line towards the goal, about 10m (10 yards) down from the corner flag (see AR top right in Fig 3b) - (2) Off the field of play behind the corner kick taker (see AR top right in Fig. 3a).

The main task for the Assistant Referee, is to look for the ball crossing over the goal line during its flight from the corner arc, to judge offside when play breaks, and to judge whether the ball has entered the goal or not. If following a corner kick, play breaks quickly down-field towards the round team's half, the Assistant Referee on the right in Fig 3b, can cut across the corner of the field of play, to reposition himself along the touchline to watch for offsides etc.

The inactive AR's on the left (in Figs. 3(a) & (b)) should position themselves alongside the second last round team defender at the far end of the field of play - this will normally mean standing near the halfway line, approximately at the position shown.

If Assistant Referees are available, the Referee should vary his position slightly at each respective corner kick.

If Referees take up the same position during all of the corner kicks in a game, players will soon exploit this by fouling opponents on the Referee's 'blind side'.

Keep the players guessing by moving around during corner kicks.

Players are very adept at pulling opponents shirts, nudging them, standing on opponents� feet and all sorts of other infringements. By varying his position, players do not know where the Referee will be, and therefore are less likely to infringe.

Whilst a corner kick is taken, the Referee should never take his eyes off the players in the penalty area. It only takes a second for a player to intimidate an opponent - and all done when the Referee is walking to his starting position whilst having his back to the players !! The Referee should also look out for infringements occurring before and during the taking of the corner kick.

Figs. 3(a) & 3(b) . Corner Kick

During the taking of corner kicks, the Referee should position himself so that the players in the penalty area are between himself and the Assistant Referee.

If players are misbehaving themselves before the corner kick has been taken, the Referee should stop play immediately by blowing his whistle loudly, and strongly warn players about their unsporting conduct (and caution players if necessary).

If the Referee is aware of any possible trouble spots between players, then he should adjust his positioning to be nearer to the trouble area, at the same time still keeping a relatively good view of the remaining action area.

Referees should not stand inside the goal area - "unless they want their heads knocked off !!"

Referees are advised to blow their whistle to signal that the corner kick can be taken. A corner kick entails both teams being confined in a small area of the field of play jostling for position - a whistle signal to allow commencement gives players a clear signal that the corner kick is about to be taken, and prevents any misunderstanding should a goal be scored (or an infringement occurring) when the Referee and both teams are not ready.

It is not always possible to whistle commencement at all corner kicks - example, when a quick corner has been taken - in this case, play should be allowed to continue without a whistle signal.

It is not advised that Referees stand at the extreme end of their diagonal on the goal line, when corner kicks are taking place; because there is a danger that they will not be able to catch up with play if the ball suddenly breaks away to the other end of the field of play.

5. Questions and Answers: Go to the top of this page

Additional Questions and Answers provided by FIFA covering all of the Laws of the game, can be found on this web site here. The original FIFA Questions and Answers pdf file can be downloaded from the FIFA web site here.

Question 1: A corner kick is taken by attacker (A). The ball hits the side of the nearest goal post, and rebounds directly back to the attacker (A) who shoots and directly scores a goal. What action should the Referee take ?

Answer 1: The corner kick taker attacker (A) is not allowed to touch the ball a second time until it has been touched by another player. An indirect free kick should be awarded to the opposition at the place where the attacker (A) touched the ball for a second time.

Question 2: During the taking of a corner kick by a superhuman player, instead of the super-human player kicking the ball towards his opponents goal, he belts it back towards his own goalkeeper. The lofted ball gets caught in the wind, and is projected directly into the goal of the superhuman player. What should the Referee do ?

Answer 2: Firstly, pick himself off the ground !, then award a corner kick at the other end of the field of play against the superhuman player's team ! (A goal may be scored directly from a corner kick, but only against the opposing team.)

Question 3: Are players allowed to crowd out the goalkeeper prior to a corner kick being taken ?

Answer 3: Players are entitled to stand anywhere that they want to on the field of play during the taking of corner kicks. Nevertheless, if the attacking team purposefully place several players around the goalkeeper, with the sole purpose of impeding him during a corner kick - the Referee should award an indirect free kick to the defending team, ONLY if the goalkeeper is subsequently impeded from challenging fairly for the ball. In most instances, the benefit of doubt should be given to the goalkeeper, because of all the players on the field of play, the goalkeepers are the most vulnerable. An attacking player standing in front of a goalkeeper, will have to actively move to impede the goalkeeper. There is nothing to stop the attacker standing still in front of the goalkeeper, but if he makes a move to block the goalkeeper from gaining possession of the ball - this is impeding. If the goal area becomes very over-congested, the likelihood of a foul occurring is increased. At the same time, the Referee's ability to see exactly what is happening becomes more difficult. Many Referees tend to err on the side of protecting the goalkeeper, by awarding free kicks where excessive contact or impedance is used, even though it may be unclear just exactly what is going on.
If the attackers are standing right in front of the goalkeeper, but move away to participate in the play when the corner kick is taken, then no offence has occurred, and the goalkeeper will just have to thread his way through the attacking players.

Question 4. Prior to a corner kick being taken, and whilst the ball is being placed in the quarter circle, and when the players are taking up their positions, several players are fouling their opponents. What action should the Referee take ?

Answer 4: The ball is still out of play, so the Referee can not award a free kick. The Referee can only discipline the participating players. Normally, such pushing and shoving is not serious enough for a caution to be administered. If it continues after the Referee has warned the players to stop, then the Referee must stop the match and discipline players accordingly.
The Referee can also blast his whistle a few times to remind players to behave themselves.
If the pushing-shoving-obstruction is being done mostly by the attacking team, and persists after the corner kick has taken place, most Referees will immediately award a free kick to the defending team, because the ball is now in play and a foul can be awarded.
If the pushing and shoving is being done mostly by the defending team, the Referee will be more inclined to let it go, in the knowledge he can award a penalty or indirect free kick for obstruction - if it gets out of hand.
Players will soon let the Referee know if there is a particular opponent who is consistently fouling them out of the view of the Referee. The Referee can then ask that player to behave himself. Normally, just a look towards that culprit will clearly demonstrate that you will be giving him your closest attention during the taking of the corner kick.

Question 5: From a corner kick, a ball is played short by the first attacker to a second attacker who then immediately passes the ball back to the original kicker who has remained in the quarter circle. The Assistant Referee immediately flags for offside. Was the Assistant Referee's decision correct ?.

Answer 5: The second attacker, who has received the ball from his colleague can not be offside direct from a corner kick. However, at the moment that second attacker touches the ball, the corner kick is over and normal play resumes. If the first attacker (who has remained in the quarter circle) is now in an offside position because the defenders have rushed out from their goal line positions, then the first attacker is deemed to be offside.

Question 6: The corner arc is too small and the flag gets in the way of a player taking the corner kick. What action should the Referee take ?

Answer 6: Irrespective of whether the arc is the right size or not, the corner flag can not be removed, and must not be held out of the way when a corner kick is being taken. If the flag is moved during the taking of the corner kick, then the corner kick must be retaken. The size of the corner arc should have been spotted and rectified during the Referee's pre-match pitch inspection. But is the smallness of the arc really a problem - I do not think so !!. The arc is supposed to allow the kicker enough room to place the ball out of the way of the flag post, although it's quite common for the arc to be too small, and/or to be drawn as a triangle. If it comes to the crunch and the arc really is far too small, use your common sense and allow the corner kick to take place so long as the ball is not blatantly more than 1 yard from the corner of the pitch - does it really matter.

If the flag is moved during the taking of the corner kick, then the corner kick must be retaken.
I once had the pleasure of seeing a corner kick taker, completely miss the ball, and kick the corner flag instead, which sailed up high into the air - and he did not mean to either !!!!!!

(Webmaster)

Question 7: Is an attacking player allowed to run under the goal net during the taking of a corner kick?

Answer 7: No. This area is not part of the field of play or the penalty area.

Beware during corner kicks, of attacking players running into this area whilst the ball is in play from the corner kick, in an attempt to distract the goalkeeper. Any such antics should be curtailed. Players are not allowed to leave the field of play without the Referees permission. If a goal is scored from a corner, and an attacker has purposefully run into this area or around the goalkeeper whilst the ball was in flight, then the goal should not be allowed to stand. This action is deemed as unfair on the part of the attacking player and can be very distracting for the goalkeeper.

Law 12 states that "An indirect free kick can be awarded to the opposing team if a player, in the opinion of the Referee commits any other offence, not previously mentioned in Law 12, for which play is stopped to caution or dismiss a player." But because the indirect free kick needs to be taken where the incident occurred, an indirect free kick restart cannot be used (because the incident occurred under the goal net and outside of the field of play and whilst the ball was in play).

Therefore, if the incident occurred outside of the field of play whilst the ball was in play, the only restart allowed by Law is a dropped ball to be taken where the ball was when the attacking player stepped under the goal net. Because the offence actually occurs outside of the field of play (under the goal net) - the Referee cannot award an indirect free kick outside of the field of play. The restart for any offences committed outside of the field of play whilst the ball is still in play is always dropped ball. The Referee can also caution the attacking player for either unsporting conduct, or for leaving the field of play without the Referee's permission.

The correct restart is a dropped ball at the place where the ball was located when the Referee either stopped play or where the ball was when the attacking player stepped under the goal net. But it is strongly advised that the ball be dropped by the Referee straight to the goalkeeper, and does not involve an attacking player. This way, justice is seen to have been done, and play can resume fairly.

Question 8: A corner kick is taken in the last minute of the game and is subsequently cleared upfield by the defending team. As the Referee heads upfield by his diagonal a defender strikes an attacker within the penalty area, but behind the Referees' back. The incident has been noted by the assistant Referee who flags to bring the same to the Referees attention. However as the Referee enters the other half he blows for full time as he turns around he spots the neutral Assistants flag and approaches him for consultation.
What is the correct course of action?

(a) Stand by the final whistle and report the incident to the county Football Association as he cannot show a card after the game has ended.

(b) Award a penalty as the incident occurred within normal play, dismiss the culprit and then end the game once the kick is taken and the result of same is known.

Answer 8: from Referees' Association England: It was unanimously agreed by the committee, and approved by the Football Association that the culprit must be dismissed and the penalty taken, once the result of the penalty kick is known the whistle is blown to terminate the game. The offence happened in normal time and the laws of the game allow time to be extended for a penalty kick to be taken.

Question 9: A player, who is taking a corner kick, taps the ball out of the corner arc and then asks a team-mate to take the kick. Without the defence realising what is going on, the team-mate immediately collects the ball and runs into the penalty area to score a goal. Is this a legal manoeuvre?

Answer: The way to formulate an answer to this question is by asking another question. Would you (as a Referee) allow this manoeuvre to take place during the taking of a free kick in front of goal? The answer should be no, as the gamesmanship depicted here, borders on trickery.
A caution (or at the very least a public warning) should be considered, and retake of the corner kick.

Question 10: A corner kick is to be taken, the kicker rolls the ball outside the quadrant with the top of his foot. He then runs into the penalty area, and a colleague goes to collect the ball with the intention of running back into the penalty area to gain an advantage to his team. Is this allowed or is it against sporting behaviour ethics?

Answer 10: There is nothing wrong with the circumstances quoted above, and no trickery is attempted, the ball is in play immediately it is kicked and moves. Therefore, this example is not against sporting behaviour ethics, or deemed unsporting behaviour. (UK RA Magazine Dec. 01)

There is no distance stipulation that a colleague of the corner kick taker has to be from the corner flag, before a 'short corner' takes place. The manoeuvre is therefore legal, the same as if a throw-in or a free kick is taken quickly, when a team mate is some distance away.

Question 11: If the ball goes out of play to the right of the goal for a corner kick, does the corner kick have to take place at the right hand corner flag post?

Answer 11: If the ball travels over the goal line, to the right of the goal, and the Referee awards a corner kick - the corner kick must be taken from the nearest corner (the one to the right of the goal). If the ball travels over the goal line, to the left of the goal, the corner kick must be taken from the nearest corner (the one to the left of the goal). A corner kick cannot be taken from the opposite corner to where the ball went out over the goal line.

When the Laws were completely re-written, a great deal of content (some of it useful) was striped out for season 1997/1998. This meant that nit-pickers could have a field day with debating what was left of the meagre quantity and clarity of the text, by either taking the words literally, or putting various spins on the interpretation depending on the position of the moon at the time of debate!
Everyone knows that a corner kick should be taken from the corner flag nearest to where the ball went over the goal line. This fact has not changed, and everyone knows this, despite no obvious words to this effect in the current Law book. The difficulty lies, when the Martian space ship appears over the earth, and tries to make sense of the Laws of Football. The Laws do assume that people on Earth know what they mean, but in some cases it still appears not!
Notwithstanding the above, if you take the following Law 17 (The Corner Kick) procedure literally, there can be no mistaking near which corner flag-post the ball should be placed.

"The ball is placed inside the corner arc at the nearest corner flag-post." (Note: This does not mean the nearest flag-post from where the ball finally stops its momentum, but the nearest flag-post to the point on the goal line, where the ball left the field of play.)

It then becomes fairly obvious, that if players were allowed to take corner kicks from any flag-post, then the wording would have to be:

"The ball is placed inside the corner arc at either corner flag-post."

The proper wording does not say this, hence corner kicks are taken at the nearest corner flag-post.

This is the end of this Law 17 - Corner Kick page

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