Question Number: 30279

Kicks From The Penalty mark 4/12/2016

RE: Adult

Jeff English of Marshfiled, Mass US asks...

This question is a follow up to question 30200

I don't think your answer is quite right. I was of the understanding that kicks from the penalty mark are completely different than kicks during the course of play. I agree that a kick going off the crossbar or goalpost and hitting the goalie and going in is clearly a goal.

However, in the penalty kicks there is no follow-up play to the ball being struck. During my referee courses we were instructed that a ball deflected out from the post or the crossbar and deflecting off of the goalie and back in is not a goal. This was because there is essentially an interfering event 'the goalie' causing the goal.

The momentum of the ball was taking the ball away from goal. It would be akin to having the ball strike the referee and going in from a kick. The kick is over when the ball stops moving in a forward manner towards the goal. Or that was my understanding. And to be clear, this is only for kicks after the game has been completed.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Jeff
This is a serious error by the instructor and it needs to be corrected immediately. This question has been asked a number of times and the answers given have been consistent.
I gave the history of why this goal would be allowed in such circumstances. I will go a step further now to show the actual incident
https://m.youtube.com/watch?t=3m50s&v=_nhvqIjgQ04
At 3.50 in the video #16 France - Bruno Bellone takes the penalty and it hits the post and rebounds off the goalkeeper. The referee correctly awards the goal. This did cause a fuss afterwards by a miffed Brazil yet IFAB ruled that the referee was 100% correct and tidied up the wording to what it is now so that there could be no ambiguity. The British commentary team of John Motson and the late Jimmy Hill do not help the viewing public. The lead commentator John Motson gets it correct while Jimmy Hill was less convincing talking about a miss and having to go into the goal directly. Such comments start myths as no one bothers to follow up when the decision is actually confirmed.
The Laws also state and I quote * Unless otherwise stated, the relevant Laws of the Game and International F.A. Board Decisions apply when kicks from the penalty mark are being taken*. So the same principles apply as in a regular kick except with the obvious exception that a follow up kick is not allowed.
So Law 14 is very clear on this and that coupled with the quote above there is no debate about this. The notion of forward momentum is nowhere in Law 14 and a red herring, a myth that is unfortunately promoted by some . The ball can hit any combination of goalkeeper, frame of the goal, backspin, momentum from the original kick and as long as the ball crosses the line a goal is awarded. Disappointing that an instructor is creating confusion here when there is none.
Have a look at these video. Referees correctly awarded the goals and there could not be much more backward momentum than the first one. Even tne second one comes back appreciably
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5ybOqQm59Q
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5F8WJ6madpE
The Italian FA ruled eventually on a protest on the 1st video after consulting with its referee association that it was a goal.

Answer provided by Referee MrRef

Hello Jeff,

Your instructor(s) are in serious error if you are being taught a deflection of the ball off the post or crossbar or keeper in any combination or order during the taking of kicks from the penalty mark where as the ball completely crosses the goal line under the crossbar and between the posts due to the initial pk kick momentum is not a goal.

As long as the referee can see the ball has momentum and has not been controlled /possessed make that held by the keeper as to completely stop its motion or the ball has left the FOP or is deflected out way into the field with NO chance of backspin only then should a whistle sound to end the PK. Otherwise? We wait and see! The only change of pks taken in house, during match play and the extended PKs or KFTPM is no other player intervention is permitted on a follow up.

from our pitch to your pitch in the spirit of fairplay