Question Number: 18473

Kicks From The Penalty mark 3/5/2008

RE: Adult

s fagan of sheffield, england asks...

in junior football, a referee disallows a penalty in a shoot out, the ball bounces off the goalkeeper and goes in, resulting in uproar the loosing team lodges a complaint to the commitee can the commitee overturn the referees decision and make the two teams play again or is the referees decision final

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

It is hard to say for sure but likely no. Since a referee has authority to declare when a PK is finished and all facts concerning play are final, the committee would have to be convinced of a procedural error

LAW 5 The REFEREE
Decisions of The Referee
-The decisions of the referee regarding facts connected with play are final.
Decision 3
-Facts connected with play shall include whether a goal is scored or not and the result of the match
LAW 14 THE PENALTY KICK
The Referee
-decides when a penalty kick has been completed

The referee may have misjudged that there was a stop not realizing the ball still had momentum or had slid away from the keeper's control.If the referee blew for full time before the ball entered the goal the goal is not counted. Or perhaps the ball marginally entered the goal but the referee saw the ball as still in contact with the goal line and thus again no goal.

If the referee is saying the goal is no good only because it deflected off the keeper or post or crossbar then in the eyes of a review board we could have a misapplication of law.

In a recent match the keeper stopped a pk then tossed the ball into the air to celebrate. The ball hit him on the way down and went into the goal. The other team screamed for the goal but the refere was correct in not allowing it as the save had stopped the ball and the keeper had control. The toss away of the ball after, since this was sudden death kicks from the mark was not a continuation of the shot!

Cheers

.

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

Because the referee is empowered to decide when a penalty kick has been completed the committee may consider his decision final.

There is one tiny flaw in the committee's logic, the referee has not followed the procedure listed in Law 14 and this is the governing procedure for Kicks From The Penalty Mark as well. The referee has not given due concern to this:

When a penalty kick is taken during the normal course of play, or when time has been extended at half-time or full time to allow a penalty kick to be taken or retaken, a goal is awarded in, 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.

If the ball has clearly gone in, hit the back of the net, this should have been counted as a won penalty kick. If, as Ref Dawson says, the ball, in the opinion of the referee, had not completely crossed the goal line no goal is awarded and the complaint will fail.

Regards,

Answer provided by Referee Steve Montanino

The referee is, according to the laws of the game, the sole decider of facts connected with play. That means no, the committee can't order a replay. The only way they could do this is if the referee broke the laws of the game somehow, and then a replay could be ordered.

Answer provided by Referee Ben Mueller

If and only if the referee did not follow the Laws of the Game. In this case, the referee decides when a PK is completed. As Mr. Fleischer has pointed out, the referee should have allowed the goal and thus the committe may see that flaw.