What is the restart if a Blue defender runs between the ball and a Red attacker inside the penalty area to slow the attacker?

In this scenario, a Blue defender is attempting to impede a Red attacker inside the penalty area by running between the attacker and the ball. This action is significant as it can be considered a form of obstruction, especially if the defender does not make an attempt to play the ball.

When a player engages in this behavior within the penalty area, the law governing the situation dictates that the attacking team is entitled to a free kick. Given that the foul occurs inside the penalty area and it involves an attempt to interfere with the progress of the attacking player, the appropriate restart would indeed be an indirect free kick for the attacking team.

An indirect free kick means that the ball must touch another player before a goal can be scored, which aligns with the nature of non-violent infractions such as obstruction. In this case, the Red team is awarded the indirect free kick because the defender's actions are considered a violation of the rules that govern safe and fair play.

A penalty kick would only be awarded if there is a direct foul involving a defender that prevents a clear goal-scoring opportunity, such as handling the ball or committing a direct foul, which is not the case here. Therefore, the indirect free kick for the Red team is the correct and appropriate