Question Number: 29816

Kicks From The Penalty mark 10/14/2015

RE: Rec Under 11

Steve O'Neal of Eufaula, Al USA asks...

Game tied in pks first 5 have shot still tied. Second 5 to shot. Our rec league rules one makes shot next misses game over. First shot miss second shot kicker caught foot in grass touched ball, ball only rocked on line. I gave kicker another try he scored games over. Did I make right call?

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Steve,
KFTPM go to sudden death if still tied after 5 shots each so sounds like you are following FIFA LOTG although this line is the PK spot? Was that to see it through the thick grass? lol . There is no 2nd five per say, just take equal shot turns using the remaining 6 shooters until someone can shoot twice. The tit for tat shot process continues until winner emerges.
Your version was the tit 6th shot misses! Then the tat 6th shot opposition shooter stumbles and nudges ball. Your decision as referee that the tat 6th PK has not yet been taken so he sets up and scores on the continuation of the Pk, game over.
I would not describe it as a retake. The miss kick or stumble approach is a fact of play and if the ball is significantly kicked forward technically the PK has been taken. Yet law 5 states the referee decides if that is so. You decided, so the goal is good! I have seen players at the top level fail in such a manner. Hopefully a u 12 match does not succumb to the pressure of win at any costs.

TOP ten PK misses
The last few are more like yours but there is OBVIOUS kicking, in your version perhaps not. I hold the opinion the ball must discernibly move from Point A to a Point B, wobbles do not cut it for me! So no worries unless they protest and the league gets to vote on whether it was or not.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jG1TRFIj6c

Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Steve
The key is whether the ball was kicked and moved. If in fact the ball was kicked and moved then unfortunately it is a miss.
Now at U12 Im not a fan of adult values and Kicks from the Penalty Mark. It is a daunting task for adults so for young children it is a very big deal. I suspect that you felt that the player may not have moved the ball and that you gave him the benefit of the doubt on that.
So I cant really say that the *correct* decision was made as I would need to see the incident. The flip side of this is that the first kicker who missed may also have made a kicking error just that he managed to get the ball away. As referees we have to ensure that our emotions dont get in the way of decision making. If you decided that the ball was not moved then a retake was the correct decision.