1) I think the general rule is direct free - own goal; indirect free - corner. I would imagine a foul like this to be direct, so it should be a goal. Indirect is for obstruction and offside. Maybe diving too; I'm not sure.
2) I'm not a professional footballer. I don't need to know the rules. But if the ref makes a call on that decision that I don't understand, I'll try to find out why the call was made rather than blindly lambast him.
3) To an extent, the player doesn't need to know the rule there. There is a safety net in that when passing to the keeper, you place the pass outside the post just in case.
4) If when giving the free kick, the ref tells the player that there is a new rule that if he puts the ball into his own net, it's a goal, then the player has no excuse whatsoever for complaining afterwards he didn't know the rules.
5) Anyone who said the goal was given because offside is an indirect free kick and can't be scored from would be wilfully missing the entire point of the relevant rule.
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