Fans are confused why players can take corner-kicks with the ball 'outside' of the arc

Football players love to show a bit of gamesmanship and bend the rules to gain even the smallest advantage.

And one of the most common examples of this involves corner kicks, where players across the world push the boundaries of the game's laws and never seem to get punished.

Law 17 of the IFAB laws of the game states that "the ball must be placed in the corner area nearest to the point where the ball passed over the goal line".

It must also be stationary and is in play when it is kicked, though it doesn't need to leave the corner area.

However, over on Reddit one user was confused as to why players were regularly able to take corners outside the arc and go unpunished.

They wondered whether it was to avoid a divet and stressed "it is way to widespread in the game these days".

Image: Getty

Some offered explanations as to how the extra inches would allow them to put in a better cross and keep it away from the goalkeeper.

Yet it is actually a simple reason. The ball does not technically need to be inside the arc as such, it merely needs to touch either the touchline, corner or end line for it to be legitimate.

Players take this to extreme but because it is touching ever so slightly, they are playing within the rules.

The below diagram provides a visual representation of what is deemed legal and what isn't.

Image: imgur

It's similar to the ball going out of play, which continues to cause controversy - as long as the ball is overhanging the outside of the line it is deemed to be in.

The next time your Sunday League opponents are complaining that the ball has "not been placed inside the D", just show them this article.