Kicking Team Advancing Free Kick

[mrkroz]

Assuming the rulebook is written the same way in Denmark as it is in Texas the following rule states:

Rule 6, Article 6.a: [... ] If the ball is caught or conquered by the kicking team, the ball becomes dead.

This means that for question 1-3 the kicking team can NOT advance the ball.

HOWEVER:
When the receiving team gains possession of the ball it is no longer a "kicking-play" but a return. So if the receiving team fumbles it is just like an interception return and at the kicking team can recover and advance the ball. So question 4: kicking team CAN advance.

[johnnyg08]

As long as it's not a muff. That's my understanding anyway.

[Robert Goodman]

There's a simple way to look at it. The kick remains a kick until it comes into a player's possession or becomes dead; any other touching short of possession leaves it as a kick. If it becomes dead, then that answers all the other questions. If a free kick ends in a player's possession, if it's a player of the kicking team, it's also dead. If it's a player of the receiving team, then since it's no longer a free kick, any later loose ball or change of possession is ruled under the rules for that kind of loose ball or possession change.