Question Number: 30662

Kicks From The Penalty mark 8/11/2016

RE: High School

Frans Versluis of Edina, MN United States asks...

In a recent U19 game between Man United and Anderlecht, a winner had to be determined by kicks from the mark. The game had ended in a tie, with one team (Anderlecht) short one player due to a red card. To equate the number of players on each team, Man United elected to not have their goalie take a kick. The score was still tied after 9 kicks and the Anderlecht goalie took shot no 10 for his team and scored. Man United choose to have its 10th player take shot no. 10 but the Referee disallowed this and argued that the Man U. goalie had to be part of the 10 players and so the goalie had to take shot no 10.

Question: can a team equate its numbers by opting its goalie out, or was the referee correct to state that the goalie has to be part of the 10 players that need to take a penalty kick.

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

Hi Frans,
When a team has to reduce their numbers to match the numbers of the other team, they cannot choose to have their goalkeeper on the field and not take a kick. They need to actually reduce their numbers - they need to only have the same number of players on the field as the opposing team.

So the two choices are that they take the goalkeeper off and swap in a different player as goalkeeper (as long is that player is one of the remaining 10 players) - in this case that player would need to wear the goalkeeper jersey - or the goalkeeper stays on and takes the kick (if it comes to that), and another player would have left.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Frans
The reduce to equate rule means just that. Both teams must have the same number of players including goalkeepers on the field of play at Kicks from the Penalty Mark. All of those players have to take a kick before a player can take a second kick. So in this case both teams should have had 10 players on the FOP, nine in the centre circle plus the goalkeeper at the penalty area. Clearly the goalkeeper was one of the 10 so he has to take a kick as does the other goalkeeper. The player who does not have to take a kick is the player that was selected to be removed from the 11.

Answer provided by Referee Joe Manjone

Frans, You asked this as a high school question but you used a non-high school game as an example. In high school play, any of the players and substitutes listed on the team roster who have not been disqualified may take the kicks from the Mark. High school play does not restrict kicks to those on the field at the end of the period prior to the kicks to the mark taking place. In fact when the period ends, the players on the field must immediately go to their team area, and the only players that are to come onto the field are those that are going to take the kicks from the mark. Thus, in your situation, the second five kickers could be any players or substitutes listed on the roster who have not been disqualified or who were no one of the first five kickers. I hope that you have a successful fall high school season.