As far as I ever knew, the player taking the kick has the right to ask for 10 yards and at that point the ref will count it off and the player taking the kick must wait for the whistle. But if he/she does not ask for 10 and decides to take the kick quickly, then he/she has no right to complain that the opposing player was not 10 yards away.
In and around the box, same deal. A good ref will only show a yellow card to a player who refuses to yield 10 yards after it has been marked off. |