At the World Cup Qatar tournament, in the match where Japan played against Costa Rica, the opponent players were seen lying on the pitch several times.

Both times were free kicks, but is it legal for the players to lie down during the match?

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It became a hot topic on SNS and I looked into it.

Player sleeping during game

It was Japan's free-kick in the second half of the match Japan lost against Costa Rica.



When Yuki Soma kicked the ball, Costa Rica players lined up side by side.



Yet another person lay down on the pitch as a matter of course.



After this, the opponent was lying down when Kamata Daichi took a free kick.

On SNS...

Questions were raised one after another on social media.

(From Twitter)


"This wall at the time of the free kick? Some



people lie down on the side."

Why should I lie down?

Are there any problems with the rules?

In situations such as when a free kick is close to the goal and at a distance where a goal can be directly scored, the defending players line up almost horizontally to prevent the shot.

This is called a "wall" and is allowed according to the rules.

This "wall".



There are cases in which the player on the wall jumps at the timing of kicking the opponent's ball.



If you jump to block the overhead ball, your feet will be empty.



For this reason, another player lies down in advance to prevent the ball from going through his feet.

This player is also defending with his body.



The rules stipulate that the defending side must be at least 9.15 meters away from the ball when taking a free kick, and the distance between the wall and the ball is fixed with exceptions.



The next Japanese game is this Friday, December 2nd at 4:00 am Japan time.



The opponent is Spain, a powerhouse, and if they win, they will advance to the finals, and if they lose, they will be eliminated from the first league.



After learning these rules for beginners, why don't you pay attention to whether there are any players lying on the pitch during the free kick scene?



*The rules are based on the Japan Football Association's "JFA Competition Rules".

World Cup You can enjoy it if you know this, the basic "ki" of soccer

[Click here for details] 1st League Japan National Team 3rd match vs Spain