Question Number: 16081

Law 14 - Penalty kick 7/21/2007

RE: Premier Under 17

Gavin of Andover, MN USA asks...

We were in a penalty shootout today for the USA Cup Championship.

It went down to the last kick.

The opponent took it, it came off the post, hit the keeper's back and went it.

It was disallowed as "no rebounds are allowed" during a shootout.

Is this classed as a rebound, or part of the inital kick?

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

The Pk should have counted! The ball had energy given to it by the kicker and ANY combination of the ball rebounding off the post, crossbar and or the the keeper into the goal over the goal line under the crossbar and between the posts is a legal goal. If the legal goal was undone by a too quick whistle or in fact a wrong whistle or incorrectly dissallowed as not legal any referees involved require recertification! I suppose the game could be protested but the referee does have the final decision into such matters and although totally wrong the match result might not be adjusted.
cheers

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Unfortunately, your referee made an error. Rebounds are allowed just not second shots. The ball is in play until all the kinetic energy imparted upon it by the kicker has dissapated. Obviously, if the ball is bouncing around it's still in play. Things happen.

Answer provided by Referee Nathan Lacy

Once the ball has been kicked it is to be allowed to continue to "be in play" until such time as it is clear that the ball is either in the net or will NOT go into the net. The rebound noted above should have been allowed as a goal because it ended up in the net as a part of normal play; i.e. it rebounded of the crossbar and then the keeper to go into the net but occurred during what could be described as the normal evolution of the kick. If the keeper clearly parries the ball away then it has become clear that the ball is not going into the net and we do not need to wait for the ball to stop to know that it's not going to be a goal - end of the kick from the penalty mark. Again, in this case there was no CLEAR resolution of the kick until such time as it rebounded off of the keeper's back and then ended up in the net - goal. All the best,

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

In Law 14 we find this: 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.

The great difficulty here is some instructors use the word rebound when saying the kicker may not play the ball again when they should be saying the kicker only gets one touch but the keeper may play the ball as many times as is necessary to prevent it from going into the goal. He should have said the energy imparted into the ball by the kicker must he completely lost before that particular kick has ended, of as Ref. Lacy states, there is absolutely no chance of it entering the goal.

The referee on the match in question didn't understand Law 14 and unnecessarily took a valid goal from the kicker. This happens all too often.

Regards,

Answer provided by Referee Ben Mueller

Wow! Bad decision here. It says right in the laws that if the ball rebounds from goal post, cross bar, and/or keeper and goes in, then it is a goal. I am surprised!

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

See Question: 16089