Question Number: 34726

Law 14 - The Penalty kick 10/4/2022

RE: Rec Under 14

Mr. Chris Twining of Wildomar, CA United States asks...

An opposing player takes a dive in the box and a penalty shot is called for. Surprisingly, this isn't what the question is about. The penalty shot is taken and saved by the goalie and play is allowed to continue for over an entire minute before the ref blows his whistle. It seems as if the ball wasn't exactly on the penalty spot when the shot was taken and the ref is calling for a re-take of the penalty shot, which this time is made. It was bad enough the player took a dive, as verified by one AR as well as every parent and coach watching. Why then should one team be penalized because the ref or opposing player misplaced the ball?

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Chris,
excuse me I think I need a moment as the idea a PK taken then missed then retaken later is difficult to digest.

Whether it was or was not a dive or a helped sell a call, where any player feeling contact from an opponent likes to draw attention to the referee by some additional unnecessary theatrics there is some unfair contact occurring as many are wanting to do, that is a judgment call, we cannot fault it, since we did not witness it. The CR of the day is the final arbiter of justice, and their opinion rules the day. I find that an AR who is talking about disputing a CR call to the public is in bad form as the AR SHOULD certainly advise a referee if he or she noticed something but other officials undermining the authority of a referee is bad for the game.

At the taking of the PK where in blue blazes were the officials?
A PK is a whistled restart that occurs ONLY when the CR is certain all is readiness for it to go ahead.?

I as I am sure my colleagues are hard pressed to imagine a Pk scenario being retaken after a minute of regulation play on a missed PK opportunity???

Were there multiple Xs on the FOP not just one at 12 yds out from the middle of goal?
It is true I have seen poorly marked fields or ones with so many lines burned into it that things can be misconstrued as to what line is what and have even paced off 12 yards to get a PK spot correct. I have seen a spot at ten yards deemed as a PK spot but I notified the teams in the pregame the FOP was incorrectly marked and designated the correct spot by alternate means. Still if we accept the designated spot as correct and a referee whistle for it to go ahead I see no reason for a rethink or redo 60 seconds later. If it was a mistake, its ingrained into the game and if it was in violation of the LOTG then perhaps there could be a protest filed later . I have seen such things as a DFK CHANGED into an INDFK at 17 to 16 yards inside a PK area instead of the PK at 12 by referees' thinking a careless tripping or holding foul creating a PK was somehow unfair so they switched it to an impeding call or else moved the DFK back outside the PA claiming it started there! My issue is what spot was this kick taken from? Edge of the 6 yard goal area as an attacking INDFK can occur closer than 12 yds from goal . ONLY attacking DFK are taken from the PK 12 yard spot.

Do not like the idea of the retake given so much time has passed but if the AR signaled there was a problem and the CR missed it as play quickly reversed itself one might stretch it as acting on additional information but given the CR was there watching to be so distracted as to fail to note the problem themselves?? ?? If it was something other than this spot issue like a keeper off the line THAT should have been dealt with immediately. Sounds like a letter to the powers that be in the ROC or league association that overlooks the way a match is managed is in order as a fact-finding mission if nothing else! There is more to this I am sure!
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Chris
I am having difficulty with this one on what is described.

On the award of the penalty kick that is a judgment call by the referee or an assistant based on what was seen at the time of the challenge. Ultimately there is one opinion that counts which is the referee's based on what was seen or conveyed by an AR.

As to the retake there can be multiple reasons for a retake yet ball placement is rarely one of them. Before the kick is taken the referee must ensure that all the condition for the kick are in place which are that the kicker is identified, the ball is correctly placed on the penalty mark, the goalkeeper is on the goal line and that all players other than the kicker are outside the penalty area and arc and behind the ball. When all that has been attended to and in place the referee signals for the kick to be taken.
Ball placement has to be sorted before the kick and only if the ball say rolled off the mark before the kick would the kick be retaken for that reason. Most kickers would rarely kick the ball that has moved off the mark and it would be an instant decision. I have seen balls roll off the mark in a worn penalty spot or topple off away from the mark after being placed by the player on a tuft of grass on the mark. Rarely would kickers take a kick when that happens as they want the best placement possible

As to the other reasons for a retake those are dealt with immediately generally goalkeeper encroachment and player encroachment. Why it would take over a minute to deal with requires explanation? Now perhaps in the heat of the penalty kick the referee missed the lead AR's flag for goalkeeper encroachment off the line so the AR could have be stood with a flag up which took longer than necessary to see and deal with?

Whatever occurred the mechanics and explanation were messy and clearly left a question mark after the game. As to an ARs opinion on the merits of an offence or not we have all been there both ways, The AR thinks its an offence while the referee does not and vice versa.
If I thought it was not a penalty I would only bring it to the referee's attention if I was in a position to do so and that I saw something missed by the CR. Otherwise I keep my opinion to myself as part of the referee team. A referee does not want to hear " I didn't think it was a foul" yet the referee will want to hear facts that there was a missed foul previous or that it was offside or it was outside the penalty area or the attacker committed a foul previous etc.

If the referee's explanation for the retake was ball placement on the mark and it took over a minute to sort that after a missed kick then that is poor officiating. On an opinion as to a reason I would advise that if the defending team committed no offence then the outcome should have been accepted and play allowed to continue. The kicking team could have no gripe if there was no offence against them and their kicker placed the ball so why stop the game.

Personally I think there is more there which can be an inexperienced official overthinking his decisions.

The following questions were asked as a follow up to the above question...

See Question: 34730