Question Number: 19168

Kicks From The Penalty mark 5/22/2008

RE: None Adult

Nigel Sheppard of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire England asks...

Let's suppose a team has a player sent off and then the game goes to penalties. If the teams are equal after both have taken 10 penalties, what happens for the 11th round of penalties? Does only 1 penalty get taken so if he scores, his team wins? Does Player 11 take a penalty and the opposition use Player 1? Or is there a different methodology which is adopted?

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Nigel a few years back the reduce to equate policy was brought into law, where if a team had player(s) sent off in regulation once the match had ended after regulation play and kicks from the mark are to settle the match the opposing team having the greater number of players is permitted, in fact forced to select the player(s) who will NOT be able to take kicks so both teams will have an equal number of PK kickers to start the kicks from the mark. Some believe this allows the team to select their weakest PK kicker but as a player to be told you are the one not wanted certainly can not feel great. That said it should be noted this applies only at the end of the match. IF a team has players sent off AFTER the match while the kicks from the mark are in progress then the unequal numbers would remain unequal and you would have it as you stated. Seems strange that if the reason to reduce was to equate was to prevent an unequal number the reduce to equate policy is not applied during the process of KFTPM but go figure ?
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

As my colleague indicates, reduce to equate takes care of things that happen during the game, to even things up for Kicks From The Penalty Mark.

The KFTPM phase is deemed to have begun once the final whistle sounds. After that point, if a team loses players to injury or send-off, there is no more reduction of the other side. The reason for this is because under certain circumstances this would result in one team not having any players eligible to take a kick - so now how does the match end?

Incidentally, when you get to the point when all players have taken a kick, the order for the second go around doesn't have to be the same.

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

If you watched the UEFA final, you saw the reduce to equate principal in action. The Chelsea player was sent off close to the end of the game for slapping an opponent. So Chelsea had 10 players at the final whistle. Man U chose a player to be excluded from the kicks and he left the field. The kicking began with 10 from each team. This allows the team with more players to choose their least successful penalty shooters to leave, and is meant to keep the Kicks on an even keel. If players are injured, or stupid enough to get sent off after the kicking has begun, then we continue with an uneven number of players. I've always wondered if the excluded players feel bad about it, but on the one hand I'm sure they know if they are weak at kicks and appreciate the opportunity not to blow it for their team. On the other hand, it's hard to sit on the touchline after playing hard all game instead of in the center with your fellows.