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Summary

Encroachment. Blue or Yellow Card?: Encroachment is defined as the situation when a defender is closer than the rules allow on a kick off, corner kick, goal kick, free kick or PK.

As we know, many facilities have different rules for their indoor games, but basically all of them are considering wncroachment as an infraction punishible with a time penalty, wheter blue or yellow card.

One of the most clear example of regulation for it, is given for the Indoor Soccer Rules from University of Colorado, that address: For all kick restarts:

a) The defender must provide a minimum of 5 yards for the taking of a free kick.

• b) If the player taking the free kick requests the Referee to provide the 5 yards legal distance, he/she must wait for a whistle restart.

• c) If the Referee asks a defensive player for distance from the restart and the player does not immediately comply, a yellow card delay of game penalty shall be assessed.

• d) If the player taking the free kick chooses to 'quick kick' the ball and it strikes the defender attempting to provide the minimum space, then there is no encroachment.

• e) If the defensive player, taking a stance within the 5 yard distance, makes any attempt toward the ball to block the free kick and makes contact with the ball, he/she is guilty of encroachment and will be assessed a yellow card. The defender may move from side to side to play the ball, but not forward.

NTSSA have two rules about it:

• 12.16.4 Unsporting Behavior: Blue Card Encroachment: Referee requests 15’ and the player refuses or a player within 15’ intentionally interferes with the restart. A two minute power play time penalty is awarded and a team warning issued to the team that any further actions will result in a misconduct penalty.

• 12.14.3 Encroachment: 1. If a defending player less than 15’ from the ball, intentionally interferes with the taking of a free kick, he shall be considered guilty of encroachment. For the first violation, the referee shall issue a team warning for encroachment to the offending team. For any subsequent violation, after being warned for encroachment, this shall be considered misconduct – technical infraction resulting in a five (5) minute penalty assessed against the offending player. A free kick will be awarded to the offended team at the point of the encroachment.

That rule have many interpretations, and many ref always show blue card, while anothers always give the warmning, and then show the yellow card.

Askied about that, a NTSSA instructor said: if the player is intentionally interfering the restart, impeding the quick kick: show blue card, in other situation give the warning and in subsequent violation show yellow.

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