On Saturday I watched in dismay and disappointment a display of either negligence or ignorance of the laws of the game during the Kaizer Chiefs-Mamelodi Sundowns Telkom Charity Cup semifinal, which Chiefs won on penalties.
During the early stages of the game Chiefs were awarded an indirect free kick in the six-yard area.
The player who was supposed to take the free kick merely rubbed his studs over the ball and stepped back for his colleague, David Mathebula, to blast a powerful shot into the back of the net.
The ball had hardly rolled 18 inches before it was kicked by a second player. I was shocked when the referee pointed to the centre of the field for a re-start of the game as acknowledgement of a "legitimate" goal scored.
To me that was an extreme contravention of Law 13 which states explicitly and categorically that in all free kicks, whether direct or indirect, the ball must roll or travel the distance of its circumference, that is 27 inches, before it can be kicked or touched by another player.
If this law has not been complied with, the free kick must be re-taken. Accepting that goal on Saturday as a legitimate one, was a disgrace to soccer.
Dy Dlamini,
e-mail
Flaunting soccer rules
On Saturday I watched in dismay and disappointment a display of either negligence or ignorance of the laws of the game during the Kaizer Chiefs-Mamelodi Sundowns Telkom Charity Cup semifinal, which Chiefs won on penalties.
During the early stages of the game Chiefs were awarded an indirect free kick in the six-yard area.
The player who was supposed to take the free kick merely rubbed his studs over the ball and stepped back for his colleague, David Mathebula, to blast a powerful shot into the back of the net.
The ball had hardly rolled 18 inches before it was kicked by a second player. I was shocked when the referee pointed to the centre of the field for a re-start of the game as acknowledgement of a "legitimate" goal scored.
To me that was an extreme contravention of Law 13 which states explicitly and categorically that in all free kicks, whether direct or indirect, the ball must roll or travel the distance of its circumference, that is 27 inches, before it can be kicked or touched by another player.
If this law has not been complied with, the free kick must be re-taken. Accepting that goal on Saturday as a legitimate one, was a disgrace to soccer.
Dy Dlamini,
e-mail