Question Number: 25251

Law 14 - Penalty kick 7/24/2011

RE: Rec Professional

Grady Flanagan of Jefferson, GA USA asks...

I am a little perplexed at recent PKs I have seen taken at the professional level. Cristiano Ronaldo is known for how he takes PKs and I saw Mario Balotelli do something similar in Sunday's match against LA Galaxy. They both appear to stop their motion as they approach the ball and then restart. I had a PK disallowed in high school when I did something similar. What is the rule?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Grady
If you watch these players closely they do not actually stop going forward nor does the goalkeeper move . The law states that feinting in the run-up to take a penalty kick to confuse opponents is permitted as part of soccer. However, feinting to kick the ball once the player has completed his run-up is considered an infringement of Law 14 and an act of unsporting behaviour for which the player must be cautioned.

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

It is stopping at the ball, and/or excess changes in direction or motion getting to the ball that will cause the kick to not count. What you describe, especially at that level of play, is a legal feint. If they stopped at the ball, or for an excess amount of time (in the opinion of the referee) causing the keeper to make a move, then the referee can consider the event an illegal feint/deception.

Every referee will have an interpretation of this rule based on their training, experience and common sense, so the calls may appear inconsistent, but really they are just differing interpretations (not always correct, of course!).