If an indirect free kick is taken without the referee signaling, what is the outcome if the ball goes directly into the goal?

In soccer, an indirect free kick requires specific procedures to be followed, one of which is that the referee must signal for the kick to be taken. If a player executes an indirect free kick without the referee’s signal and the ball goes directly into the goal, the goal is not counted. Instead, the correct course of action is to retake the indirect free kick, because the initial kick was not properly executed according to the Laws of the Game.

The essence of an indirect free kick is that it must touch another player (either a teammate or an opponent) before a goal can be scored. When the referee does not signal for the kick to be taken, it invalidates any subsequent outcome, including the scoring of a goal. Thus, the correct response to such an occurrence is to retake the kick, ensuring that all required procedures are correctly followed.