Sao Jose’s Renato Santiago scores directly from a kick-off
Sunday, February 8th, 2009
Incredible footage.
The action comes from the Paulista A2 match in Brazil between Sao Bento Sorocaba and Sao Jose last Thursday night, a match which the visitors won 4-2.
We pick up the action early in the second half with Sao Jose leading 3-1. The hosts clawed themselves back in the game when Neto coolly side footed his shot past the keeper to bring the deficit down to one. Game on.
What happened next was extraordinary.
With the hosts retreating to their half to position themselves for the restart, the hosts number 7 was seen clearly placing the ball on the centre-circle for Sao jose’s kick-off. With their backs mostly turned, Sao Jose’s Renato Santiago then raced up to the stationary ball and blasted a shot towards the oppositions goal.
With the Sao Bento Sorocaba caught off guard (although how this could be the case remains a mystery), Santiago’s shot bounced just in front of the keeper and flew into the net.
While this in itself was an amazing moment of footage, what makes the incident so controversial is the fact that the referee, seemingly against the laws of the game which demands that the ball move a full cycle forward for a kick-off to be legal, allowed the goal to stand.
Renato Santiago’s goal can be seen here.
4 Responses to “Sao Jose’s Renato Santiago scores directly from a kick-off”
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February 8th, 2009 at 11:25 am
Perfectly legal
If he’s shooting at goal the ball has moved forward a full circle?
The rules were changed a couple of years ago to allow shooting from kick-off. The ball just has to go forward
The exact details from the Fifa rule book read (http://www.thefa.com/NR/rdonlyres/095F9568-466D-4D71-ABF5-C1253A1C28FD/151521/FifaLawsOfTheGame0809.pdf)
Kick Off procedure
• all players must be in their own half of the field of play
• the opponents of the team taking the kick-off are at least 9.15 m (10 yds) from the ball until it is in play
• the ball must be stationary on the centre mark
• the referee gives a signal
• the ball is in play when it is kicked and moves forward
• the kicker must not touch the ball again until it has touched another player
February 8th, 2009 at 1:30 pm
Thanks Parkesy for the rules. however on the point before last, is the ball in play? i always saw the first touch of a kick off as a deadball where the ball is not in play. so its like he’s taking a free kick. surely its illegal?
February 8th, 2009 at 4:30 pm
It says here:
http://www.fifa.com/flash/lotg/football/en/Laws8_01.htm
and in the 08/09 pdf
A kick-off is a way of starting or restarting play:
-at the start of the match;
-after a goal has been scored;
-at the start of the second half of the match;
-at the start of each period of extra time, where applicable.
A goal may be scored directly from the kick-off.
February 8th, 2009 at 6:33 pm
Thanks Allen
In the PDF that bit was right above the section i was reading
Not sure how i missed it!
Josh - the second to last line says the ball is in play WHEN it is kicked - so yes it’s in play