Question Number: 24838

Kicks From The Penalty mark 4/19/2011

RE: Competitive - Gold Under 18

A ali of Vancouver, Bc Canada asks...

The soccer game is tied and the two teams head to a shootout. Player A is up to take a shot against the keeper. When the referee blows his whistle for the player to take his shot, player A begins his run. He runs towards the ball, but stops once he gets about two steps away from the ball. He realises that he cant take his shot and realises that his "feigning" trick didnt work, so he begins to walk back to where he initially began his run to start over. The referee had no problem with this.

The other coach became verbally furious demanding that the kick should not be allowed to be retaken, however the referee allowed the player to restart his run and take the kick because in the words of the referee, he said that 'the player did not make contact with the ball, hence Player A is allowed to start his run again and take the kick'.

Was this the correct decision by the fellow referee? If not, what shouldve the referee done in this circumstance? Should player A have gotten a yellow card?

Thank you in advance and I look forward to the responses.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

1. The coach should have been dealt with quickly. What did he expect the referee to do, abandon the game? The kick was never taken so it can't be 'retaken'.
2. When did Player A 'feign'? It seems to me he simply stopped his run and decided to start over.
3. It's possible the referee could view the actions as unsporting and caution Player A but that seems a bit of a stretch to me.
4. In any event, Player A should be allowed to take his kick.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi
IFAB changed the Laws of the Game in respect of Law 14 when it introduced a section on unsporting feinting.Had the goalkeeper dived and the player then continued his kick after stopping that indeed would be unsporting behaviour resulting in a caution and a retake if a goal was scored.
As described here this is not unsporting feinting and the defending team has not been disadvantaged. Perhaps at a stretch depending on the time in the game etc the kicker could be cautioned for delaying the restart of play.
The correct decision was to set up the penalty kick again, ensure the proper placement of all the players and signal again for the kick to be taken.
As regards the coach's behaviour the referee has to opinion whether to take action against his outburst. That depends on what was said, the manner it was said and probably his behaviour in the game.

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

How is the referee supposed to read the kicker's mind to determine that the stop was a feint? Absent a crystal ball, all we can do is watch what happens and decide from there. Even if it was a feint, those are allowed on penalty kicks unless the result of the feint is so unfair as to require the referee to not allow it. Do not confuse the restriction against stopping at the ball and waiting for the keeper to jump and then kicking the ball with what was described above - that's what the coach did.

Here, we have a kicker who makes a run, but before he gets to the ball (critical point), he stops and backs up to start over. Has the keeper been disadvantaged? Not according to the scenario drawn above.

The right thing to do is exactly what the referee did. A little common sense goes a long way (note to coach). At most, I would have a word with the kicker to get on with the kick - no more warm-up runs. No caution needed or warranted here under the stated circumstances.

As for the coach, ignoring his outburst would be my first choice, since it simply outlined how clueless he was. However, if need be, depending on the language, etc. I could and would dismiss him.