A defender takes a free kick inside their own half and kicks the ball towards their goalkeeper. The pass is weak and inaccurate, and an opposing attacker runs towards the ball. The defender chases the ball and kicks it before the attacker, preventing them from gaining possession. What is the correct decision?

THE DECISION

The defender who took the free kick cannot touch the ball a second time until it has touched another player. The referee awards an indirect free kick to the attacker’s team and takes the appropriate disciplinary sanction: * caution (yellow card) – if the second touch stopped a promising attack * sending-off (red card) – if it denied an obvious goal-scoring opportunity