Question Number: 35908

Law 14 - The Penalty kick 4/23/2025

RE: Competitive Under 12

Soccer Mom of Saratoga Springs, UT United States asks...

Team 2 was awarded a penalty due to a foul in the box. Everyone was set up for the penalty. After the whistle a girl from Team 2 ran up to take the penalty then ran over the bill without touching it. Another play on the team then ran up to take the penalty and she scored.

Team 1 keeper started to dive with the first runner, and the second player scored in the opposite direction.

The ref called the penalty illegal and had them retake it. Goalie saved the second attempt.

Was the illegal penalty the right call? Should they have gotten a re-try?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi
Thanks for the question

This is quite unusual and most referees do not have to deal with such situations

Law 14 is very clear on this and I quote

** 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

So in your example as per bullet point 2 the restart should have been an indirect free kick to the defending team from the location of encroachment and the player cautioned.

In some ways the referee was fortunate in that no goal was scored on the 2nd attempt as it could result in an error in Law which is protestable and it will succeed at protest as the only possible restart is an idfk

Answer provided by Referee Joe Manjone

Soccer Mom,

Referee McHugh is correct. If the designated kicker does not kick the ball, the kicker is to be cautioned (yellow card). Because the ball was not kicked forward, and the second kicker entered the penalty area, the game should be started with an indirect kick from the point of encroachment. In your case, this is the player who did kick the ball into the goal and came into the penalty area before the ball was kicked.

The referee in your game was most likely utilizing the part of the penalty kick rule that states a retake is to be taken when the ball the ball enters the goal. However, this is when the ball enters the goal from a kick by the designated kicker.

This is a unique situation. However, it may have been a planned situation by a coach or players that did not understand the penalty kick rule.

Thank you for asking about this. I have never seen it occur.