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The referee was correct in the decision to re-kick. While this is a YHTBT (You Had To Be There) situation, I'm assuming the kicker simply was anxious and started play too soon. Some players kick before the referee blows the whistle in an attempt to gain an unfair advantage. In doing so, the kicker gets a sneak preview of which way the keeper may guess on the kick, and the kicker also gets into the keeper's head a little. If the referee suspected this to be the case, a yellow card to the kicker for unsporting behavior would be warranted. Like the kick-off from the center circle and most other restarts (except where the offended team chooses to use a quick restart on a foul), the referee should indicate, usually with the whistle, that the ball is ready for play.
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