Question Number: 16058

Kicks From The Penalty mark 7/17/2007

RE: Pro Professional

Aaron of Chicago, Illinois USA asks...

What happens if a player is sent off during the taking of kicks from the penalty mark. At this point, I don't believe the other team has to eliminate a player to even the numbers because that only happens at the start of taking of kicks from the penalty mark. So, all players kick and eventually it gets down to the point where one team still has a player to take the kick but the other team who had a player sent off does not have a player. What happens then?

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

I impressed you have grasped the procedures used for kicks from the mark so well - most people don't get it. You are correct that when a player is sent off during kicks the other team retains all the eligible kickers. But, I digress. To answer your question, if one team has a player sent off during the kicks, the kicks continue. Say one team has 11 and one team now has 10. When they get to the eleventh round, the team with 10 simply starts a new rotation and sends in any player. The Laws say no kicker may kick a second time until all eligible players on their team have taken a kick.
Here's another interesting fact about kicks from the penalty mark: no order is required, thus the order can change with every round of kicks (a round being when every eligible kicker on a team has kicked).

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

Well thought out Arron and correct thinking it is. Reduce to equate is done to ensure there is an equal number of players on each side when they begin taking kicks. When something happens during the taking of kicks from the mark we continue with what we have.

Once one side has used all of its players one who has already taken a kick must kick again. So, I know you're thinking this, it is entirely possible for a team who has had a player sent-off, a dishonour in itself, to have their #1 penalty taker face off against the other side's #11. To take the thinking farther, will one side eventually start to deliberately have someone sent-off so they may arrive at the position "Reduce to Equate" was to prevent? One would hope not... BUT, there's always the win at all costs mentality to contend with.

Regards,

Answer provided by Referee Ben Mueller

The player was sent off must leave the vicinity of the field. The other team need not reduce their team though. The kicks from the mark continues.

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

See Question: 16070