Question Number: 26313

Law 14 - Penalty kick 5/9/2012

RE: Regional league Under 16

Keith Middler of Aberdeen, Scotland asks...

Player is taking a penalty which he misses. Referee orders a re-take because he heard some expletives along the lines of 'miss you ****'
Referee admits that he didn't know who had shouted but he believed it was one of three opposition players.
This has caused debate as to whether the correct decision was made. The team who were penalised went on to win the game so only asking as we are interested to know the answer.

Thanks

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Keith
Let me answer the question on the basis that it was a defender that used the words. The referee allows the penalty kick to be taken and if the penalty is scored the goal is awarded. The player who is guilty of the shout, is then cautioned for unsporting behaviour before the kick off.
If the penalty is missed with the defending team infringing the Laws of the Game, the referee cautions the defender for the shout and the penalty kick is then retaken.
So the referee was entirely correct to do what he did in Law and as he did not know who shouted I guess no player was cautioned.
Where it gets debateable is the uncertainity of the player that infringed the Law. The answer is entriely different if it was an attacker that infringed the Laws. In which case the restart is an IDFK to the opponents after a missed penalty or a retake if the penalty was scored. It is unlikely that it was an attacker but not impossible although I suspect that the referee assumed that it was one of the three defenders.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

If the referee judges that a member of the defending team committed misconduct between the whistle and the taking of the penalty kick, the correct procedure for the referee is to allow the kick to proceed. The goal is awarded if scored; otherwise, the kick is retaken.

Should a referee determine that the one shouting 'miss it, you . . . . ' is a member of the defending team even if the referee didn't observe who said it? It is so unlikely that a member of the kicking team would say it, that the referee's judgment seemed entirely correct.

What would be incorrect, IMO, would be to caution one of the defenders even though the referee has no idea if the one being cautioned is the one who committed the misconduct. (A clever referee might choose one and ask "why did you do that?" to see if there is a confession, or more likely, that the player points to the offending teammate!)

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

See Question: 26327