Question Number: 24630

Kicks From The Penalty mark 3/1/2011

RE: Competitive Under 17

John Taylor of Falkirk, Scotland asks...

This question is a follow up to question 24370

Related to the question about being able to change the penalty taker, what is the situation regarding KFTPM at the end of game where a player who already has a yellow card, feints at the end of the run up and scores?
My understanding is that the player should be cautioned and the penalty retaken. If so, he would be sent off, so someone else would have to re-take the penalty.
So, would you continue in the 5 designated player order, and have the new penalty taker take say the 3rd penalty, or the 5th penalty
Also the number of players woud then be unbalanced, so a player from the opposition would have to be removed from the field of play. When would this happen as it disrupts the procedure if it happened immediately.
Hope that makes sense!!!!

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

First, there is no designated player order for taking of Kicks From The Penalty Mark. The only order required is that teams alternate, and that no player may take a second kick before all eligible players on the team take their first kicks.

Second, the 'reduce to equate' principle applies only at the beginning of KFTPM. If a player is sent off after the kicks begin (or is injured), the team continues with one less player. Yes, that means that a player on their team gets to take a second kick before all the players on the other team have taken kicks, but that's the way it is. Else there could be situations where no player is eligible to take the next kick, and the game would have to be abandoned. Since the purpose of KFTPM is to resolve a winner, abandoning at that stage would be a very unsatisfying result.

So the answer to your question is that after the kicker is sent off, another player has to take a try. That player can be anyone who has not yet taken a kick. If all other players have already kicked, then any player can take the kick. The rotation in the second round does not have to be the same as in the first round.

Answer provided by Referee Gene Nagy

John, many referees ask for a list of 5 kickers from the team for KFTPM. This well established custom has never been in the Laws. The only requirement is that no player kicks twice before all his team has taken a turn. I know, you are saying everybody does it that way but actually everybody is wrong! This custom came from the stipulation is that after 5 kicks a winner is declared if the score is uneven. (Obviously if it's 3:0 etc it's over and no need to go to 5.) So as a referee, you mark down the player, who has taken a kick one by one. You make sure everyone from that team takes a turn before a previous kicker can kick again. If all have taken turns, a new round begins in any order and the same rule applies.
After the KFTPM has started, theoretically there could be just one player from one team and 11 from the other. This could happen if 10 from one team have been sent off AFTER the start of KFTPM. In other words, after the start, there is no need to equate the number of players.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi John
There is nothing in the laws that requires a team to provide a list of penalty takers to the referee before KFTPM. It has been become custom and practise among referess to ask for the 1st five penalty takers and helps to speed up the penalty taking as there is not a 'committee meeting' before each penalty as to who will take the penalty. So if a player is dismissed the team is asked to provide another penalty taker. Funnily enough no one ever asks why the list 'ceases' after the 1st 5 penalties. The answer is because it is simply not part of the laws. The only requirement is that a player cannot take a second kick until every player on his team has taken a kick. On the second eleven penalties the 11th taker could take the 12th penalty as that begins a new sequence.
As regards equating the teams that only applies before KFTPM so after the kicks have begun there is no need to equate.

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

Unless the feint is one deemed unfair/unsporting by the referee no second yellow is warranted. But let's assume said player on a yellow ran up and stopped at the ball and then kicked it. Now a second yellow will issue and said player will be sent off.

Because KFTPM have already begun (even if said player was the first kicker - once he kicks they have officially begun) reduce to equate no longer applies. Reduce to equate is simply a method for allowing the team with more players at the end of the game (through no fault of their own obviously) to shed a few of their less skilled PK takers. The feinting player's team will simply continue kicks with one less player. In fact a team can continue kicks with just one player - which means they lost the rest either through injury or send offs until a winner results. The other team simply continues through their rotation (which can change in order each time the team has run through the players on the field including the keeper).

There is no designated order for the kickers for which the referees are responsible or beholden to use. That is up to the team captain and s/he can change it each time his/her team starts a new round of kicks. A new round of kicks for a team means every player on the field who is eligible to kick has taken a kick in the previous round and in the new round an entirely different order is allowed. In other words in round 1 kicker #11 kicked last and in round 2 kicker #11 could now kick 1st.

The following questions were asked as a follow up to the above question...

See Question: 24856