Question Number: 34729

Law 14 - The Penalty kick 10/8/2022

Petr of Prague, Czech Republic Czech Republic asks...

Hello,

one 'penalty kick' question, please.

Player A1 takes penalty kick. The ball hits the bar. It bounces back to the field and from the goalkeeper into the goal. Team-mate A2 offends.

Can I decide that THE BALL DID NOT ENTER THE GOAL and continue with IDFK for team B?

I know this:
'VAR protocol says: 'The VAR can intervene in one of the following instances:

- Encroachment by players that has a direct impact on the outcome of the kick' etc.

What if player A2 does exactly this? (IDFK or retake?)

The main question: 'When does the penalty kick act actually end?'

Thanks!

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

HI Petr,
once the whistle signal is given play is restarted the moment the ball is kicked forward!

A PK in running time the ball can be played again, this is unlike a KFTPM or an extended PK where only the kicker and keeper are legally involved, So things that occur within a regulation PK will not have a direct ending as the loss of ball momentum does not halt the match or deem the PK over as other variations can occur where players from either team can become involved. In an extended PK or KFTPM once the ball has no way to enter the goal by its own momentum, the ball exits the FOP or the keeper has it in his controlled possession only then is a PK over

A team attacking cannot benefit if there is an offence by them created prior to the goal being scored!

A team defending that creates an offence during a PK could be possibly retaken or if the offence is another DFK, a new PK established.

In this case of the goal being scored it might have to be retaken or a free kick out might be awarded depending on the offence and its timing by the other attacker.

Once ball is on its way to the goal and any combination of a rebound by the ball, posts crossbar or keeper the ball is considered to have the initial momentum imparted from the PK and as such that ball is live until either it stops, is under control of the keeper or exits the FOP as in touch or as a goal.

The timing of the offence plays a part.
If, before the ball is in play, in otherwards the attacker infringes BEFORE the PK ball is kicked forward, if the ball enters the goal, the kick is retaken. By your description as LONG as NO other player interfered with the penalty kick and only after the kicker directed it towards the goal that ball came into contact be it any combination of keeper post or crossbar before completely crossing the goal line under the crossbar and between the posts, the restart is a retake. No one including the original PK kicker could touch the ball a 2nd time otherwise it has NOT directly entered the goal unassisted.

If the ball was saved or there was secondary involvement by others and the ball does not enter the goal, the referee stops play and restarts with an indirect free kick except for the following when play will be stopped and restarted with an indirect free kick, regardless of whether or not a goal is scored:
• a penalty kick is kicked backwards
• a team-mate of the identified kicker takes the kick the referee cautions
the player who took the kick
• feinting to kick the ball once the kicker has completed the run-up (feinting
in the run-up is permitted) the referee cautions the kicker

If the other attacker created a foul or infringement AFTER the PK was struck towards the goal but before the ball has entered the goal that is a free kick out based on whatever that action warranted. If the ball was already in the back of the goal then that action if it occurred after the goal scored could only be misconduct.

In a match a few years back I had a keeper make a brilliant save, caught the ball, stood up and was so excited he screamed and tossed the ball high into the air only to have it bounce into his goal. Now if that was a regulation PK that would be a goal but as it was an KFTPM to decide the match given he HAD completely eliminated the balls momentum from the PK kicker and it was HIS actions alone that threw the ball into the air it was a win for them as they beat the other team 3 to 2. The losing coach insisted that the ball was still alive, but I explained the ball was not deflected, it did not rebound off the keeper in which case the goal would have counted. The FACT was the ball was COMPLETELY controlled it was not partially blocked and allowed to rebound away where after bouncing around the balls spin redirected it back towards the goal & hit crossbar posts or even the keeper again before entering the goal into what is essentially a live ball for a good goal as the PK has in fact not yet ended!

I watched a match years ago where it was an extended PK the keeper was celebrating after knocking the ball down and away from goal people pouring onto the FOP and yet the camera was focusing on the ball sitting across the goal line a few feet into the netting . The official of the match had NOT blown his whistle and although there was no clear indication of how the ball wound up in the goal the goal was awarded. Now that was a messy situation lol

Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Petr
Thanks for the question.
Some referees have made the mistake of incorrect decisions on rebounds at penalty kicks.

First off encroachment happens BEFORE the kick not after. A rebound changes nothing in that the offence has already happened and the penalty kick is completed when the ball stops moving, goes out of play or the referee stops play for any offence. So there is no encroachment offence after the kick is taken

Now you do not mention what offence A2 committed or when ? It is highly likely that the A2 offence happened as part of the kick. If it was encroachment BEFORE the kick by the attacking team only then if the penalty was scored it is a retake . If it was encroachment by both teams then it is a retake no matter what happens. If the kick was taken with no offence at that time then play continues.

As to when a penalty kick ends it depends on if it is in regular play or Kicks from the Penalty Mark. In regular play once the ball is kicked it is in play and play continues until the next stoppage which could be a goal, the ball going out of play or an offence signalled by the referee. If an offence happens in the time window between the referee signal and the kick then a referee will follow the decisions as set out in the panel in Law 14 page 120. In KFTPM the penalty is over when a goal is scored, the ball goes wide or the ball loses its momentum from the original kick.

As to your example one of the conditions of a legal goal is that the scoring team must not have offended in the build up to the goal. So if A2 offended before the kick then the goal is disallowed and the restart is a retake . If the kick was missed then a free kick from where the offence took place by A2. The offence can be encroachment or any other offence punished by a free kick either direct or indirect. If the offence happened AFTER the kick was taken then the goal is disallowed and restart depends on the nature and location of the offence. An example would be that A2 tripped a defender after the kick was taken in the follow up. In that case it is a DFK from the location of the trip

As to penalty kicks I say to referees to keep it simple. Do not go looking for offences that are trivial or doubtful. The LotG in Law 14 mentions clearly impacted so say a step by the goalkeeper off the line and the kicker blasts the ball over the bar that is not clear impact on the kicker so the restart is a goal kick.

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

Hi Petr,

Don't try to apply VAR protocol to anything that happens in a non-VAR game. All you need to remember is that you have until play restarts to change your decision.

The bar for AR intervention (well, advising you) is much lower than VAR, so when you're on the pitch, forget everything you've ever read about VAR.

As to whether this counts as the ball going in the goal or not - interesting question I would apply the same standard that I'd apply if it was KFTM or a PK after the end of the half and I needed to judge whether the kick was complete - so I'd still consider a rebound off the post/keeper to be going in. Bear in mind, the laws don't say 'if a goal is scored directly from the kick' - simply, 'if a goal is scored'. I think that lacking the word 'directly' means we can certainly include those deflections as part of going into the goal. If it touched the kicker again, or another player, then the kick is 'over' and we'd award an IFK if the offence occurs before the kick.

If A2 commits an offence before the kick, then I would be retaking the kick rather than award an IFK.

If A2 commits an offence after the PK is taken, then bear in mind that the moment the ball is kicked forwards it is in play, so you'd simply judge it on its merits like any other offence in play.

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