Question Number: 22458

Kicks From The Penalty mark 11/7/2009

RE: High School

Brian Kieb of Wilmington, North Carolina USA asks...

We just had a state playoff game go all the way down to 'Kicks from the Mark'. Both teams scored on the first kick then their next player missed the second kick and walked off the field by the sidelines. The ref whistled to let our player kick which he made it then notice that their player that left was not on the feild and too close to the goal net on the sidelines. The ref concluded that our second player's kick was to be redone. Is this the right call? Why should our team be penalized for the others mistake?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Brian
There is a very strict set of procedures for kicks from the penalty mark. All players, who finished the game and who are eligble to take a penalty, other than the penalty taker and the two goalkeepers must be located inside the centre circle.
In this case the player who missed should have gone back to the centre circle. Now as his opponent was taking the next penalty I believe that the penalty should have counted as that team has not infringed the law. If the player missed through some interference by the previous taker then there is grounds for a retake.
I would point out as well that there only consideration for a retake on an infringement by the penalty taker is taking the penalty before the whistle or unsporting feinting where the penalty is scored.
I believe that the referee may have erred in this case.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

It seems odd to retake the kick if the only reason is the misconduct of a player on the other team in failing to return to the center circle after taking the kick. I suspect there must be more to the event, although we do not know the referee's thought process.

If it happened as you write, the referee punished the team that was innocent, and rewarded the team that was guilty. That would be a mistake.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

Perhaps the referee whistled to indicate the kick could be taken, and then saw the player out of position. He then tried to stop the kick - maybe there was another whistle or a shout? - but the kicker didn't have time to react and stop. In that case, the kick should be retaken because the referee's actions could have caused the goalkeeper to relax and not defend full strength.

Otherwise I am as confounded as my colleagues why your team would be punished for an infraction by the other team. Perhaps your coach or athletic director should ask a question or lodge a protest if the decision made a difference to the outcome.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

The procedure is only as bullet proof as the referee's understanding of the laws! True the shooter should have returned to the centre and the referee is a bone head for not ensuring this has occurred prior to signalling a new shooter to commence.

The law states that once a signal to begin a PK has occurred the referee should not order a retake if a goal is scored and it was the defending team who infringed the laws!

I cannot fathom why a referee would order retake unless he had already interfered to the point where he was whistling play dead ahead of the kick and created too much confusion on his intervention to allow the kick to commence!

If you did score and that could have decided the match but was reversed then you missed the retake eventually losing the shoot out perhaps a protest might be considered if it truly affected the outcome!
Cheers.