Question Number: 16125

Law 14 - Penalty kick 7/26/2007

RE: Pro Adult

Hosam Salem of Alexandria, Alexandria Egypt asks...

Dear Sir,

My question is whether the following scenario is valid in soccer or not?

If a player shot a penalty, hit the post, then come back to the player, without touching any of the opponent players.

Should it be a foul on the player shooting the penalty?

As it is the case with any foul, that another player must touch the ball after the first player shot it.

Thanks in advance for your prompt reply.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

Playing the rebound off the goalpost is not a foul per se, but it is an infraction against Law 14. You are correct, that at any restart (*) the ball must touch another player before the person taking the restart can touch it again. The goalpost is not a player, so if the ball rebounds directly to the penalty kicker and he touches it, the restart is an indirect free kick to the opponents at the spot of the second touch.

(*) Note that a dropped ball is special. None of the players put the ball into play - rather it is in play when it touches the ground. Therefore there is no second-touch restriction on the first person to touch the ball after it is in play.

Answer provided by Referee Steve Montanino

The restart in the scenario you described should be an indirect free kick to the opposing side. A player may not touch the ball as second time after taking a penalty kick until it has been touched by another player.

This is also true of many other free kick style restarts and throw-ins. The only one that doesn't meet this requirement is a dropped ball.

Two nights ago I refereed a match in which a player took a corner kick, the ball struck the post, and rebounded all the way back to the person who took the corner kick who stuck it a second time. I gave the IFK here for the reasons outlined above.

Answer provided by Referee Ben Mueller

If it is a penalty kick, then it is an infraction for a 2nd touch. It is IFK for opponents at spot of touch. This is NOT a foul but an infringement of the law on penalty kicks.