The real reason why footballers don't take corners from inside the painted 'arc' has finally been revealed.
Before a corner is taken, fans are sometimes left confused when the ball appears to be outside of the white line arc, which signifies where the corner should be taken from.
The reason behind it, from a football law standpoint, is that the ball does not need to be within the quadrant as long as a small part of it is in contact with the line. You can read more about that here.
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As you may have seen with VAR angles, even a vertical camera shot of the ball can appear to show that it is outside the arc, when in reality it isn't.
But there is another more practical reason as to why players position the ball in a certain place before taking a corner.
Speaking on commentary during Chelsea's Premier League clash with Crystal Palace on Amazon Prime, Arsenal legend Lee Dixon detailed the reason.
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He claimed that the white paint used to mark the 'arc' is actually hard, which means the ball sits in a slightly awkward position when fully placed on it.
As a result, it is easier to kick the ball with more accuracy when only a small amount of it is placed on the line, as is allowed within the laws of the game.
If the ball is placed outside of the arc and is spotted by an official after the corner is taken, then the set piece is retaken.
Those laws also state that opposition players must remain at least 10 yards away from the arc until the ball is in play, meaning that the further forward the ball is played, the more the potential advantage for the attacking side if they are taking a short corner.
Topics: Football
Ryan Smart