Question Number: 32603

Kicks From The Penalty mark 7/21/2018

RE: Adult

Salvador Flores of Indianapolis, IN United States asks...

Question 1:
Kicks from the mark:
If you have kicks from the mark after extra time is over and you have all 11 kickers from one team kick, but the 11th kicker is about to kick and as he is about to walk up over to kick he gets injured. It says in the laws of the game that if the kicker delays the kick from the penalty mark then the kick should be forfeited and mark as a miss. In this case, the player got injured and did not return. The kick shouldn't be forfeited since the kicker got injured. Should the next kicker kick twice in a row? One kick for the kick that his teammate was about to make and the other kick for his own kick in the second round if the kick is scored.

Question 2:
I had a player from a team come up to me and say that the goalkeeper from the opposing team should be caution for sitting down in his penalty area, while the ball was in play on the other side of the field in the the other goalkeeper's penalty area. Could the goalkeeper be caution for this? Could it be considered unsporting behavior? I don't think there should be caution for this.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Salvdores,
The LOTG cannot always cover every conceivable weird thing although they do their best to lend credibility to any action needed. KFTPM have undergone a few revisions to try to stop any unfair shenanigans the best of which is equate at ANY time not just at the end of the match. Thus we can, remove reduce and equal out those who are taking the shots.

I thought a bit if the next kick was to tie to keep going or to win could we do things different?

Technically if the player is injured let say he tripped and rolled an ankle in his run up so the kick can not be taken. It should not count as a miss. We just record the incident in the match report.

The previous team 11th kicker if it was a goal given we are into sudden death only a goal keeps the other team alive. S0 one of the ten remaining players still active need to take a 2nd kick to keep the game alive.

If the 11th player was a miss and then the 11th opponent trips and cannot take his 11th shot thinking to pass it on to the best pk kicker on his team I see no reason to discount the previous kick, keeping both teams at 10 players a piece and restart the sudden death as all tied after ten shots apiece.

The keeper displaying such actions showing disrespect is plausible USB still as CR or even AR I likely inform the coach it could be a good idea to fix the issue before it escalates. On a hot day with one team dominating leaving the keeper with no action be better for the keeper to go forward into the other half and play than lazy bones in the PA.
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Salvdores
Thanks for the questions.
The Laws now allow for reduction to equate during the Kicks from the Penalty Mark. So if a player is injured the opponent get to remove a player as well after kicks have begun.
In reality an injured player cannot be expected to take a kick. The referee has no way of deciding if the injury is genuine or not so all he can do is inform the opponents and ask them to reduce by one.
The same would apply to a sending off as let us say that a player is sent off between the end of the game and the end of KFTPM that player will obviously not be allowed to take a kick and the opponents get to reduce by one.
Now the only likely unfairness that could transpire here is that the team that is going second on the 11th kick with say a score to win in sudden death could *engineer* its 11th kicker to be injured / sent off which means that it can then pick its best kicker to take that kick. Unfortunately that is of no concern to the referee as he has to deal with the situation as presented under the Law not in equity.
During any KFTPM this can be a difficult situation to manage. I recall in an U21 Euro semi final between England and Holland in 2007 an England player Taylor indicated that he was unable to take a kick when it was his turn which was the last England kick in the first sequence. The player was injured during the game but had to play on as all subs were used. He however did not indicate his decision not to take a kick until the KFTPM were underway which at that time did not afford the opponents the opportunity to reduce. He probably did not expect to take a kick. After a standoff between the two teams the player limped forward and took the kick and scored. The Laws at the time, as it is now, cannot force an injured player to take a kick. I am unsure what would have happened had the player not stepped forward. I know what the Law says yet implementing it can prove difficult.
As to kicking twice in a row that is only possible if the player takes the last kick in the first sequence and then the first in the new second sequence. The 11th kick by the team in your scenario begins a new sequence of 10 kicks so that player could kick again as the first sequence is ended. Unlikely in my opinion as if he is last to take it is for a reason.
On your second question I would suggest that the referee should deal with any sign of disrespect between players particularly where a player is lying on te ground and he could interfere with play. The referee should see why the player is on the ground as it is typically an injury
I have seen this once in a blow out game where a player decided that it was so one sided that he lay down on the field. When I saw this I went to him at the next stoppage and asked him if he was injured to which he said no. I then asked him to get up which he did. Had he refused I would have cautioned him for unsporting behaviour.
As to a goalkeeper at the other end of the field I would tend to ignore that and certainly not act on the instruction of an opponent. How many times have players ever bothered about what the GK is doing at the other end of the field? Or for that matter the referee?
I have seen pictures of goalkeepers leaning against goalposts, talking to supporters behind the goal, on their hunkers etc
Would a referee caution any of these
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