Question Number: 25437

Kicks From The Penalty mark 9/16/2011

RE: Recreational Under 8

Teresa Flint of Newcastle, Ontario Canada asks...

In my daughter's playoff game last Wed. night the game was tied and went into penalty kicks. The young referee made a mistake and allowed all 7 players from each team to remain on the field for the kicks. After 5 kicks taken by each team, my daughter's team was winning 1-0 and should have won the game. Unfortunately, the referee became confused and continued to allow penalty kicks to be taken. After 18 kicks in total were eventually taken, the opposing team had put 3 in and were declared the winning team. A formal protest of the game has been submitted, but my question to you is this; What happens when the referee makes such an error? Can the decision be reversed or will the entire game have to be replayed?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Teresa
This is a matter for the competition authority to decide. The appeal committee can decide to allow the result to stand, it can decide to replay the game or it can decide to retake the Kicks from the Penalty Mark. It is unlikely that it will allow the 5 penalty kick score to stand as the teams had an understanding that all 7 players would take a penalty kick. That effects the kicking order of both teams.
On a personal basis I do not agree with ultra competitive football at this level and certainly not the taking of KFTPM for very young players. After 18 kicks with 5 scored IMO says it all.
As KFTPM was the method used to decide the tie and if it was agreed that all players on field at the end of the game would take a penalty confirmed through the taking of 18 kicks then IMO the result should stand. . Ultimately its is up the appeal body to decide based on the referee's report and the actual facts of what happened. Unless the referee made a counting error then personally I would argue that the on field result should be accepted.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Who knows what an appeals committee will do. Only 5 should have taken kicks and after 5 the only reason to continue would be if the teams were tied which they weren't.

But I agree with Ref McHugh. U8 players going to kicks to decide a winner seems way over the top to me and detracts from what very young players should be doing:having fun.