Question Number: 12780

Kicks From The Penalty mark 5/12/2006

RE: High School

Rich Kimberly of Murfreesboro, TN USA asks...

A match I recently refereed went to penalty kicks to decide a winner. Player A took a kick. The ball hit the keeper's hands and deflected to the goalpost. It hit the post and rebounded approximately a yard in front of the goal where it lay, slightly moving. The keeper's momentum in stopping the shot left him lying face down. As he rolled over, his leg struck the ball and propelled it into the goal. Should the goal have been awarded. My ruling was that the momentum of the ball was spent and that the keeper essentially put the ball into the goal, not the shooter.

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

No Rich, even though you are the one to decide when the penalty kick is over in this case you should have allowed for this, from Law 14:

When a penalty kick is taken during the normal course of play, or time has been extended at half-time or full time to allow a penalty kick to be taken or retaken, a goal is awarded if, before passing between the goalposts and under the crossbar:

the ball touches either or both of the goalposts and/or the crossbar, and/or the goalkeeper.

Note: you admit the ball was slightly moving. This means, to me and, I believe, to Law 14 that a goal should have been scored. The reason is because the energy imparted into the ball by the kicker was not completely absorbed by the keeper, some remained. As a consequence of his attempted save the keeper lost visual contact with the ball and whilst trying to find it propelled it into the goal.

Regards,

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Rich, please, we have enough non-referees calling kicks from the mark "penalty kicks" we don't need referees doing this also. You describe the ball as still moving. This says to me that the kinetic energy imparted to the ball by the kicker was not spent. Since you decided the kick was over, it was. It's your decision. Had this been a penalty kick during regular play, there's no question I would have awarded a goal. If I was certain the ball couldn't move anymore at KFTPM I may have waved it off as you did.

Answer provided by Referee Nathan Lacy

Proper terminology serves us well - or sinks us. Kicks from the penalty mark. That aside, I concur with both of the above comments because each has its own unique perspective and, depending on that perspective, the decision could go either way. A question I would ask is "Why was the keeper rolling over?" (1) Was he merely trying to right himself to get up? or (2) Was this part of the momentum he had as a result of making the save? If yes to #1 then - no goal - in my opinion because his actions at this point would have nothing to do with making the save. If yes to #2 then - goal - in my opinion because it would be a continuation of the event and, as such, the KFTPM would not have been completed. Unfortunately this is one of those "gotta see it" scenarios wherein the actual dynamic plays significantly into which way you decide. All the best,