Question Number: 28591

Kicks From The Penalty mark 7/11/2014

RE: Adult

Paul White of Southend on Sea,United Kingdom, Essex United Kingdom asks...

If you shoot the penalty during a shoot out at the ref and it goes in dose it count

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

Not very likely given the referee's usual position, but for the world cup, FIFA's rules of competition specify that the kick is not a goal if it touches an "official."

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

NO!
First off what is a pk shooter doing aiming to hit a referee off to his left and slightly behind him?? One of the defining conditions at a PK is

• The player taking the penalty kick must kick the ball forward

Sounds like a good way to get yourself sent off be shown a red card for violent conduct to me!

NO!
Kicks from the mark are NOT part of the match they simply determine an outcome! Kicks from the penalty mark Procedure

• The kicks from the penalty mark are not part of the match

This clause excludes the regulation aspect of the officials status on the field {If, when the ball is in play, it touches the referee or an assistant referee who is temporarily on the field of play, play continues because the referee and the assistant referees are part of the match.}
Now a rebound might strike an inattentive referee however in Law 14 Pk
Procedure there is no mention of the referee as a match condition that could allow a rebound to go in off him even in regulation time if the ball did strike the referee he has ultimate power in that

• The referee decides when a penalty kick has been completed.

When a penalty kick is taken during the normal course of play, or time has been extended at half-time or full time to allow a penalty kick to be taken or retaken, a goal is awarded if, before passing between the goalposts and under the crossbar:

• the ball touches either or both of the goalposts and/or the crossbar and/or the goalkeeper

Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Paul
It is not likely to ever happen as some many unusual conditions have to come together at the same time. Referees ensure that they stand in a position that this will not happen and kickers would never be that far off target certainly not deliberately.
If it was deliberately kicked at the referee it would be violent conduct and the player would be sent off. If the ball rebounded into the goal the referee would disallow the goal and request another kick with a new kicker. If the ball went astray the kick is missed.
The Laws of the Game specify that a goal cannot be scored if it touches an outside agent on the way towards the goal in which case the kick is retaken. If the ball rebounds and hits an outside agent then the restart is a dropped ball.
While the referee is not an outside agent the action of the ball hitting him would be the same principle and a retake might be the "best" decision in the extremely unlikely "accidental" scenario after everyone has stopped laughing. If it hit the referee on a rebound away from the goal then the Laws only allows for a dropped ball in the "outside agent" scenario so again perhaps the outside agent principle is "best". The referee could also deem that when the ball reached him the kick was over.
Some can argue that the Laws allow for the goal in all scenarios except in the case of an offence such as violent conduct. These hypothetical situations can be argued using the wording of the Law and without a definitive say competition rule the referee can interpret it as he wishes.
As I have said many times prevention is better than cure. Referee should ensure all eventualities are allowed for before signalling the kick to be taken.
Standing to the left and well away from the goal will prevent it ever happening except for the deliberate action which is easily decided under the Laws.
An acronym phrase that I use for these hypothetical paper scenarios is YAGNI. In software a programmer should not add functionality until deemed necessary. The same applies to the Laws of the Game wording. While helpful in encouraging the Laws to be researched the chances of needing a decision is remote if referees set up the kick in the proper manner.