Question Number: 24509

Kicks From The Penalty mark 1/23/2011

RE: competetive Adult

robin smith of aukland, new zealand asks...

in a penalty shoot out, after the scores are tied, when does the ball officially become dead after the initial penalty kick. if the ball strikes the bar, comes down and hits the keeper and bounces back into the net, it is always awarded a goal. so if the ball bounces off the bar and does not hit the keeper, but the keeper slams the ball into the net in pleasure, surely that should be a goal as it in someways follows the first example. So, when is the ball deemed to be dead after a penalty kick, in a shoot-out.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Robin
The referee is the sole judge of when a penalty kick is completed and the situation you describe. If I as a referee believe that there is no hope of the ball entering the goal and the goalkeeper then kicked the ball into the goal I would not award a goal. The opponents would not expect a goal here. If on the other hand the GK makes an attempt to kick a spinning ball away close to the line that could enter the goal and kicks it by mistake into the goal instead of a clearance then that is a goal.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

The ball is dead when the referee says it is. But the referee should not signal that a kick from the penalty mark has concluded until all motion of the ball has ceased, the ball has gone out of play, or ITOOTR there is no chance for the ball to score

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

If the goalkeeper controls the ball, the kick attempt is over. What the keeper does with the ball after that is immaterial. She just has to be sure that her control is established well enough for the referee to recognize it; putting the ball into the net too soon may be seen as not having control at all.

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

There was a video on YouTube recently where a keeper at a PK saved the kick, but didn't secure the ball, which hit the ground off the save and then spun into the goal. That's a goal. Keeper error.

The referee should wait and see what happens after the kick - does it rebound off the goal post or crossbar or the keeper? Is it still spinning, moving or rolling with any chance at going into the goal? If so, then no whistle and we wait. But if, as in your second example, the ball rebounds off the crossbar and clearly is not headed toward the goal, the referee should consider the kick concluded - whatever the keeper does next is irrelevant.

The penalty kick is concluded when the referee says it is, and that is final. Hopefully, the referee has read up on the recommendations from FIFA on when that should be!