Question Number: 34521

Kicks From The Penalty mark 3/5/2022

RE: Adult

Daz of Liverpool, UK asks...

The Carabao went to 11 - 10 on penalties. My question is what would have happened if a player had been sent of and were down to 10 men, when it would have been their eleventh penalty would they have to of forfeited the penalty therefore the match?

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

HI Daz
Murphy's law anything that could happen eventually will lol If there is a reduction in player numbers during KFTPM due to a send off or injury the opposing team must in law reduce to equate in numbers.

So if we assume all 11 players on one team have taken their shot then 1 gets ejected before the 11th oppoinent on the other team has not yet shot in theory there is no reason that 11th player MUST remain as opposed to any of the other 10 who have shot already. So if he is chosen to equate thus not be the 11th shooter then 1 of the 10 who had shot altready would go a 2nd time!

If the team player shooting their 11th shot was to be sent off before completeing the task then one of the 10 remaining team mates would do so in his place. The referee might record this as suspicious in his match report as to how this misconduct occurred but it would not automatically forfeit a match. Equal attempts at the goal is required in a sudden death shootout. Any player can shoot a 2nd time once all the other teammates legally on the FOP have gone once.
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Daz
That eventuality is covered for in the Laws.

It is called reduce to equate so the team with the extra player gets to chose a player to not take a kick and he is asked to go to the touchline so the teams have an equal number of players on the field of play in the centre circle during the kicks. It is to prevent the unfair situation of a team starting its 2nd round of kicks with its 1st kicker against the opponents 11th choice kicker in sudden death perhaps the goalkeeper as in the Liverpool v Chelsea game.

There was an anomaly some years ago when the equating only happened at the start of the kicks. It now happens throughout the kicks so if a player is sent off during the kicks the opponents get to reduce by a player also. It means that there is an equal amount of players on the field at any time.

Referee Dawson mentions a possible loophole in that if say the last kicker decided to get sent off just before his kick after the opponents had taken their 11th kick the unfair situation of the team being allowed to put forward their first choice kicker would have to be allowed. I don't think it has happened as few KFTPM get to the maximum kicks but it is a possibility.