Question Number: 13531

Law 14 - Penalty kick 8/21/2006

RE: Regional Competitive Adult

Sancho of Montreal, Quebec Canada asks...

FIFA's Q & A on the LOTG mentions that in taking a penalty kick, the kicker is allowed to feint. I was wondering if there were any limits at all on on the sort of feinting allowed; for example, can the kicker:

- Start running, momentarily stop, and restart their running?

- Start running, stop, take step(s) backwards, and resume running forwards?

- Run to the ball, stop, pretend to kick it in order to fool the keeper into diving, and kick the ball once the keeper has already committed him/herself into a dive?

As far as I can tell, Law 14 places no restrictions on what the kicker can do before they kick the ball, which means that all three of the above actions would be allowed. Essentially all that seems to be required of the kicker is that they kick the ball forwards and not play it a second time until another player has touched it. Apart from this, the only other restriction I can see is that the feinting cannot be so excessive as to merit a caution for delaying the restart of play.

I find this a little strange, because I would think saving a penalty kick is hard enough as it is, and that feinting would make it trivially easy to score (especially being allowed to backstep or fake the shot). What's more, even at the international level (take the recent World Cup for example) in general players seem to elect not to do the feints described above; is this by choice or because the practice is not permitted?

I'd appreciate any thoughts the panel has on this. Thanks; keep up the great work!

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Expect some definitions to be forthcoming because all it says now is feinting is allowed. Most of us take that to mean the kicker cannot start and stop but may fake one way and kick another. I wouldn't allow any of the 3 instances you describe because, in the opinion if this referee, they go beyond "feinting". I also think there is general agreement that a player taking a PK may not swing his leg over the ball and then step back and kick it.

Answer provided by Referee Debbie Hoelscher

In the taking of a penalty kick, the kicker may use some "trickery" in his advance to the ball as long as it is not excessive and does not circumvent the LOTG. The kicker may not go beyond the ball and then come back and take the kick. If an infringment to the LOTG occurs, the referee must let the kick be taken and then make a decision based on the result of the kick. If the ball enters the goal, the kick is retaken. If the ball does not enter the goal, the referee stops play and awards an IFK to the opponents of the kicker's team at the point of the infraction.

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

See Question: 13579