Question Number: 29204

Law 14 - Penalty kick 2/24/2015

RE: Ex soccer player Adult

Bryan of London, Ontario Canada asks...

I could be wrong and it has been a long time since I played (1960)
but I seem to remember that in the event of a penalty, the penalty taker could not touch the ball again if it came back off the goalkeeper
or was it the bar or post I don't know maybe I am mistaken!

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

Hi Bryan,

It's the goalpost/crossbar you're thinking of - as soon as the ball touches any other player (including the goalkeeper), the kicker can touch it again. If it bounces back off the goals and nobody else has touched it, then the kicker cannot touch the ball.

Keep in mind that when it comes to touching the ball for this sort of thing, the keeper is just the same as any other player.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Bryan,
Any normal PK taken in regulation time has the potential for a rebound off the keeper to be played a 2nd time by the PK kicker because,

THE BALL IS STILL IN PLAY! Not as in KFTPM or an EXTENDED PK where NO ONE can further participate in play except the keeper trying to stop the ball from entering the goal.

THE KEEPER IS AN OPPONENT, so if the ball is still in play and the ball has been touched by another player, no 2nd touch infraction on the PK kicker is possible as it WOULD be if the ball had only rebounded off the crossbar or posts or for that matter the referee! lol

Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Bryan
The penalty kicker cannot touch the ball for a 2nd time until it has been played or touched by another player. That other player can be the goalkeeper.
Now should the ball rebound off the frame of the goal and the ball has not touched anyone else, the kicker is restricted from playing the ball for a 2nd time. Should he do so it is an IDFK from where the 2nd touch infringement took place.
As a personal comment I would take this Law out of the Laws of the Game. It is never ever intentional and if a player even tried to do it, which would never happen, he would find it nigh impossible. However it does exist and referees must call the IDFK.
The same by the way would apply to any kicked restart. If say a free kick, corner kick made its way back to the kicker directly off the frame of the goal it would be called as a double touch infringement.
I recall early in my refereeing career when a corner kick hit the front post and returned directly to the kicker who played the ball in again. Not one player looked for the IDFK as the infringement never entered their head given that the ball had travelling some 40 yards and it would be expected that the lone player would play the ball again. At the time I simply let it slide as the player kicked the ball out for a goal kick.

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

See Question: 29440