Question Number: 34313

Law 14 - The Penalty kick 8/21/2021

RE: rec Under 13

michael paine of apex, NC United States asks...

hand ball in penalty area. players line up for penalty kick. kicker kicks the ball over the goal before the referee blows tthe whistle. does to kicker get a second chance

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Michael
The answer is yes and in fact it must be a retake whether a goal is scored or not.
It is one if the few times that a whistle is required for a restart.

Now it can work both ways. The initial kick can be scored and its a retake and perhaps the retake second kick being missed.
The whistle is to ensure that everyone is ready including the goalkeeper for the kick to be taken. It would be unfair if the GK is waiting for a whistle and the ball sails past him into the goal.

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

Hi Michael,

This is one area where I think the law isn't fair and doesn't make sense - but it must be a retake. When the law is black-and-white, as it is here, the referee has no leeway to make a judgement call - and attempting to do so can cause bigger problems.

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Hi Michael,
While Law 14 itself only specifically references a "signal" by the referee, the Guidelines for Match Officials section of the Laws says that a whistle is required to:

"restart play for: ... penalty kicks"

So in practice yes, if the player kicks the ball before the referee has whistled for the penalty to be taken, the kick must be retaken because the ball was not actually in play when it was kicked.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Michael,
Hmm, I was pretty sure in all the excitement that I, as the referee, blew the whistle or gave a signal and the goal kick restart goes ahead without incident.

The PK taker would have to be a complete obtuse idiot to ignore the direct information that NOTHING happens until the whistle sounds as I handed him the ball, maintained eye contact, and got a recognizable response with a, yes sir, or an up and down head nod or a thumbs up assuring me he is aware of the protocols! Should the penalty kick CLEARLY be taken without a signal, before the referee was ready to continue, the kicker could be cautioned & shown a yellow card for delaying the restart or USB for the misconduct of such an action. In essence, it's not two bites as play was NOT yet restarted but I agree there is a taint should he score on the retake of the PK restart lol
Cheers