Question Number: 30307

Law 14 - Penalty kick 4/17/2016

RE: Adult

Fred Hughes of Wrexham, clwyd uk asks...

Hi my Question to you,is-When a penalty has been awarded,the Goalkeeper must stay on his line until the ball has been kicked,yet when the penalty taker comes up to the ball,stops,then goes forward and sometimes stops again,the goalkeeper has now moved and the penalty taker puts the ball in the goal,why is the goal allowed,when the keeper has moved before the ball has been kicked Many Thanks Fred Hughes

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Fred
There is a fine line between feinting which is legal and stopping so that the goalkeeper commits by moving to a side with the ball being kicked into the opposite side.
If you watch closely on the legal feint the player never actually stops, it is just a stutter. On the illegal one he does and that is not allowed. It is a caution and a retake. This became a particular problem in South America causing IFAB the law makers to spell this out clearly in the Laws. It was always understood as being unacceptable to stop yet the law did not actually state it clearly. What was happening was that players were running up, stopping just as they were about to kick the ball, the goalkeeper would dive and the player would then slot the ball uncontested into the other side of the goal. It is called a paradinha. That is now a caution for the kicker and a retake of the penalty kick if the penalty is scored.
In these example those are now a caution and a retake
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmEHynpR2vc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=788q49gBGjk
From next season it will not be a retake as the new law book spells out that while it will still be a caution the restart will be an indirect free kick restart to the defending team.
Interestingly that was never allowed in UK and Ireland. It was always a retake for an incorrectly taken kick without the caution. Now a caution is required in Law. It rarely happens however and I have never seen it.

Answer provided by Referee MrRef

Hello Fred,
You can not stop on a run up to a pk. although you can alter the speed nor can you fake the kick.
The idea is of a Pk is simple, ball is placed on the spot, referee whistles go, kicker moves forward then kicks the ball forward be it a shot at the goal or a pass to run onto by a team mate in match play (not possible in KFTPM or extra time PK) The New LOTG will now have the PK reversed to an INDF out. I hold the opinion there is no need to caution as the loss of possession is going to be difficult to rectify for wasting the scoring opportunity! Apparently the LOTG want it as a mandatory caution! In my opinion it is a totally unnecessary card. To give up the PK for a foolish choice? It made sense IF it was a retake it makes none now!
from our pitch to your pitch in the spirit of fair play