Question Number: 15036

Law 14 - Penalty kick 3/24/2007

RE: GRADE ONE Adult

liam mc guirk of DUBLIN, REPUBLIC OF IRELAND asks...

This question is a follow up to question 14968

I QUESTION THE ANSWER GIVEN TO A RECENT QUESTION REGARDING THE TAKING OF A PENALTY AND IF THE PLAYER TAKING PEN CAN STOP,THE ANSWER PROVIDED BY THE REFEREE IS NOT A TRUE REFLCTION OF THE RULE,A PLAYER CAN FEINT HIS MOVEMENT BUT CAN NOT ACTUALLY STOP AS THIS GIVES HIM A CLEAR ADVANTAGE OVER THE GOALKEEPER,THE REFEREE ANSWERING THE QUESTION CAN NOT DECIDE TO LET A PLAYER STOP AS THIS IS NOT WITHIN HIS PERAMETER AS A REFEREE TO DO SO,WE MUST OBEY THE RULES AS MUCH AS THE PLAYERS MUST.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

There is a clear difference in my opinion of a stutter step and an actual stop as is there is a jerkiness to the movements as in a hop skip and jump type action. On a Pk one player only partipates.
In actual free kicks the kicker can be anyone and they can run up and over as well as fake kick and another player other than the one who finally kicks the ball can participate. Given that referees often SEEM to allow encroachment and a step out off the line by the keeper as trivial to the outcome where is the basis for allowing feinting to not follow the same quidelines as other free kicks? Do you have FIFA decisions or a national policy that states catagorically a stutter step is considered a stop?
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

1. A feigned attack designed to draw defensive action away from an intended target.

2. A deceptive action calculated to divert attention from one's real purpose.

These are accepted definitions of the word feint. FIFA have said that at the taking of a penalty it is permissible draw defensive action away from an intended target of calculate to divert the keeper's attention from the kickers real target. If the referee has the opinion a stop, stutter step or a run up to a kick that does not happen at that instant is a feint then what has happened is within FIFA guidelines. UNLESS his national organisation has otherwise decreed.

Regards,

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Liam.1.The referee is entitled to ignore ANY breach of ANY Law if he deems the infraction to be trivial 2. Throughout the LOTG and FIFA's Q&A site we see the phrase "in the opinion of the referee". 3. The decision of the referee regarding facts of the match is final. You are entitled to your opinion. A referee who disagrees with your opinion as to what a feint means is not ignoring the Law. Until FIFA or a National organization specifically bans completely stopping while taking a penalty kick, some referees are going to allow it. Others are not.

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