Question Number: 30553

Kicks From The Penalty mark 6/28/2016

RE: Travel Under 13

Jim of Duncansville, Pa Usa asks...

Penalty shots to decide the game. Player strikes the ball and it hits the crossbar goes straight up in the air, drops behind the goalie outside the line and bounces back into the goal, is this a goal or does the forward momentum of the ball being stopped by the crossbar consider the shot to be over

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Jim
Clearly this is a goal. There is no mention of direction of the ball in a Law 14 and a myth has developed in the game that in some way it is not a goal. Regular visitor to the site will note that this has been asked regularly.
Law 14 is quite specific on this and it states
** 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**
Nowhere is forward motion mentioned here.
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.
To avoid any confusion, and for those who are looking for a simple solution, the momentum of the kick is the crucial point in deciding when a penalty kick has been completed. So no matter how many combinations of goalpost, crossbar, goalkeeper's body parts, ground etc. are involved, if the ball ends up in the goal because of the energy imparted onto it by the kick, a goal must be allowed. To confirm that a former FIFA Q&A had a detailed section on Law 14 scenarios. To quote the relevant one
** When is a penalty-kick considered completed in the event of a match being extended at half-time or full-time to allow it to be taken, or in the event of kicks being taken from the penalty-mark to determine the winner of a match?
Here one must refer to Law 14 - Penalty-kick, Decision No 6 of the International F.A. Board.
The player taking the penalty-kicks the ball which, having rebounded from either goal-post or the cross-bar, rebounds back into play, hits the goalkeeper and passes entirely over the goal-line, between the goal-posts and beneath the cross-bar.
Decision: Goal, the penalty-kick (or kicks from the penalty-mark) is over and therefore the extended time also, if applicable. **
Now the reason we have this clarification goes back to the World Cup of 1986 in a game between Brazil and France that went to KFTPM.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEYJMq-6iS4&t=5m36s
At 5.36 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 at the time and 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. A British commentary team at the time of John Motson and the late Jimmy Hill did not help the viewing public. The commentator John Motson got it correct saying it was a goal while Jimmy Hill, highly respected in the game and having a good knowledge of the Laws, 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.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

The new Laws of the Game make this even clearer: 'The kick is completed when the ball stops moving, goes out of play or the referee stops play for any infringement of the Laws.'