Question Number: 25100

Kicks From The Penalty mark 6/13/2011

RE: Division 1 Select Adult

Lindon of Meridian, Mississippi U.S.A. asks...

Scenario: Team A and Team B are tied after regulation in a USSF sanctioned tournament. This is the final match and emotions are high.

The game goes to kicks from the mark. Team A has one player that is unbelievable when it comes to kicks. He simply is amazing.

One by one each of Team A's remaining 10 players walk up to the center referee and spit on him. Each one is shown a red card and sent off.

According to USSoccer: If, through misconduct, injury, or other cause, the number of players on a team falls below seven, the kicks from the penalty mark will continue so long as the team has at least a single eligible player.

Am I correct to assume, Team A can now conduct the Kicks from the Mark with only their superstar? Can he kick every kick against the other team?






Is this correct?

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

That is what the Law says. After thinking about this i would be tempted to abandon the game for referee assault. If instead of spitting at me the players used language worthy of a red card I, fearing for my safety, would also abandon the match

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Lindon
Unfair as it may seem the Laws of the Game state that the referee must not abandon the match if a team is reduced to fewer than seven players during the taking of kicks from the penalty mark. The intention behind that Law is not to allow the deliberate behaviour you suggest but rather through injuries, sendings off it is possible that a team could start KFTPM with 7 and then be reduced further. So yes it is possible that a team could be reduced to one player and KFTPM would continue. That player would also have to act as goalkeeper.
Having said all that any team that engaged in this behaviour would find itself in very serious disciplinary trouble perhaps going as far as a club suspension from future competitions and players likely to receive lengthy bans.
In addition the referee could and should, fearing for his personal safety, abandon the match, go home and report the matter to the competition organisers.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

Remember that this superstar kicker would also have to defend the goal against all the kicks of the opponents.

While there is nothing the referee can do but report the spitting incidents, the league should have some heavy sanctions against the team for such malarkey. In some leagues, that includes deduction of points, so the team might not get the trophy. And having all those players suspended at the beginning of the next season would be a big disincentive against any use of this scheme.

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

Interesting question, and technically you'd be right - the team in question could simply get 10 players sent off and let their 1 kicker keep taking the kicks.

However, for that team's sake, I hope that brilliant penalty kicker just happens to be the keeper!

However, as a referee I'd very strongly consider abandoning the match if anybody spat on me. If it happened a 2nd time there's simply no way I'd be staying on the field.

I'd also get the police involved and seek to press charges against the player/s concerned.

Not to mention the potentially lifelong suspension for the player/s involved, and potentially significant measures taken against the club involved.

Let's avoid all that - say the players have done something else that requires being sent off without assaulting the referee (after all, I think that's the core of the issue).

While technically the match would continue with that one player, the competition authorities may well decide that the team has brought the game into disrepute and take away that win, as well as penalising them with suspension, expulsion, fines, or future loss of competition points.

Of course, none of that concerns the referee.