Question Number: 16584

Law 14 - Penalty kick 9/7/2007

RE: Competitive Under 16

Barney MacGruder of San Francisco, CA USA asks...

What is the correct call if a player taking a PK heels the ball backwards?

Answer provided by Referee Steve Montanino

The referee awards the defending team an indirect free kick.

It never used to be this way, but now it is because that is the way the IFAB wants it, which is their perogative.

Frankly, I like it as a concept. If you have an open shot on goal from the dead center of the field and only 12 yards out, why on God's green pitch will you back heel the ball away from the goal? If you want to act stupidly, then you SHOULD lose your chance, even if play hasn't been technically restarted correctly.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Barney,
Although I agree on the stupid part it flies in the face of what a proper restart requires by FIFA's own writing. Initially when I first read this I thought it was refereeing to a trick play where the pk kicker turned his back on the ball as if to walk away then nudged it forward with the back of his heel so a team mate could run onto it and catch everyone by surprise. Imagine my surprise when we have no legal restart yet we award ball possession to the opposition! Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Ben Mueller

Indirect free kick at the PK spot. This is one of those rare decisions in the laws of the game.

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

As my colleagues have noted, the correct call is an indirect free kick to the defending team at the penalty mark. This is new, and the object, one supposes, is to punish behavior which brings the Game into disrepute - which is laudable. I am sad, however, because it destroys the beautiful logic which always allowed a referee to get to the right answer on restarts. If a restart wasn't correctly taken, it was redone, which has always been the case before this change. Now we have exceptions to worry about, and that does worry assessors and instructors. All the best,