Question Number: 26229

Law 14 - Penalty kick 4/23/2012

RE: Rec Under 15

Roland Kelly of Menlo Park, CA USA asks...

This question is a follow up to question 26207

Hello,
In follow up to Question 26207, when a PK is taken correctly, and the ball bounces off the woodwork and them immediately richochets off the knees of a defender into their own goal then it is not a valid goal but a CK to the attacking team. This seems like a trivial consolation instead of being awarded what looks like a clumsy own goal .. (I can hear the squaks now frm the parents/coaches who do not know the Law). Please confirm that the CK is the correct outcome. (Unlike to happen, but it might)
Thanks, RK

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Roland
I'm not sure you have read the answers correctly in 26207. The answers related to the highly unlikely event of an actual penalty kick being kicked directly by the conceding team into its own goal.
As described in your scenario a goal would be awarded as the ball is in play and it makes no difference who the ball comes off with the one exception of the kicker as that would be a double touch infringement punished by an IDFK. If the ball came back off the goalkeeper there is no infringement.
In your scenario award the goal and restart with the kick off.
Here is an example of this situation and the referee correctly awards the goal
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qga59xg5N4k

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

Not sure if you misunderstood the part where I said that a team can never score an own goal directly from a restart.

In the scenario you posted, this has not occurred. After the restart has occurred, the ball is now in normal play and anything (within the LOTG) can happen. The defender collecting the rebound is not the player taking the PK, so there's no concern of scoring an own goal directly from a restart (this line refers to the player taking the restart putting the ball into his own goal without any other touch occurring) - it's simply an own goal in open play.

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

The phrasing of the original question in 26207 was confusing. A defender cannot take a PK, since by definition, it is the attacking team who takes the kick. So that left us trying to figure out what the questioner meant, and led to some entertaining scenarios and postulations.

However, in your scenario, if the ball is kicked by the identified kicker on the opposing team at the PK, and the ball rebounds off the goal crossbar or post to a defending player, and the ball rebounds off that defending player into the goal, it is a goal, plain and simple. The ball was kicked properly into play, so the ball is live and no matter who puts it into the goal, assuming no violation of the Laws, it will be a goal.

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

See Question: 26329