thumb|Dropped-ball in football (prior to 2019)
A dropped-ball (or drop-ball) is a method of restarting play in a game of association football. It is used when play has been stopped due to reasons other than normal gameplay, fouls, or misconduct. The situations requiring a dropped-ball restart are outlined in Law 8 and Law 9 of the Laws of the Game; Law 8 also contains the dropped-ball procedure.
Procedure
thumb|upright|[[Howard Webb performing a dropped-ball in a Premier League match in 2007]]
Following changes to the Laws of the Game effective from June 2019, the dropped ball is explicitly awarded to a specific player:
Infringements
If a player touches the ball before it touches the ground, the drop-ball is retaken.
Situations in which the dropped ball is used
The following are the situations in which the 2020 Laws of the Game specify that play should be restarted with a dropped ball:
- the crossbar becomes displaced or broken
- the ball becomes defective In 1905, the referee was instructed to "throw the ball down" rather than up, and in 1914, to "drop the ball".
In 1984, a special case was added for a dropped ball within the goal area; instead of being dropped at the point where play was suspended, the ball would be dropped at the closest point on the six-yard line. This change was made in order to avoid "crowding" and "jostling".
Scoring from a dropped ball
In 2012, scoring a goal directly from a dropped ball was forbidden (if the dropped ball was kicked directly into the goal, a goal-kick or corner-kick was awarded instead). The justification given by the Football Association for this change was that "[t]here have been a number of occasions where goals have been scored from 'uncontested' dropped balls ... We then have the unseemly situation where the opposition allows the team to score from the kick-off without any players trying to stop them in order to rebalance the game."
In 2016, it was further required that the ball must touch two players before going into the goal; if it does not do so, the goal is disallowed and play is restarted with a goal-kick or corner-kick.
Remedy for infringement
In 1891, an infringement of the laws at a dropped ball (for example, playing the ball before it touched the ground) was punished with an indirect free kick to the opposition. This penalty was removed in 1937, and replaced with a retake.
Abolition of contested dropped ball
In 2019, the contested dropped ball was abolished.
The official justification given for this change was that "[t]he [previous] dropped ball procedure often leads to a 'manufactured' restart which is 'exploited' unfairly (e.g. kicking the ball out for a throw-in deep in the opponents' half) or an aggressive confrontation. Returning the ball to the team that last played it (had possession) restores what was 'lost' when play was stopped, except in the penalty area where it is simpler to return the ball to the goalkeeper. To prevent that team gaining an unfair advantage, all players of both teams, except the player receiving the ball, must be at least 4 m (4.5 yds) away."
The 2019 rule change also provided for a dropped ball restart for certain situations involving the ball touching a match official.