Question Number: 20950

Kicks From The Penalty mark 3/9/2009

RE: Amateur Adult

Rob Andrews of Bristol, United Kingdom asks...

I have always wondered:

In a penalty shoot out there are no rebounds, so if a penalty comes back off the post (normally a miss), but then hits the body of the goalkeeper who dived in front of it, and goes in, does the goal stand?

I would have said no because this would count as a rebound?

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

The kick is over when the momentum of the ball is spent, and when the referee says it is. The two should always coincide but the latter controls.

So in your case, the ball is still live and in motion when it hits the post, hits the goalkeeper and then goes into the goal (where the motion stops). If the motion had carried the ball off the field or over the bar, it would not be a goal.

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

Instead of thinking about rebounds think the keeper is the only player allowed to touch the ball more than once on a single kick. He may touch it as often as necessary to make it completely stop moving. If he allows the ball to cross his goal line under the crossbar and between his posts before it stops moving he gets to touch it once more -- to dig it from the net and give it to the referee because he's just allowed a goal.

Regards,