Question Number: 17948

Law 14 - Penalty kick 11/18/2007

RE: Rec Under 19

Rick of Big Bear Lake, Ca USA asks...

We have a FIFA shootout taking place to decide the game. Were at about the third player to kick, the Ref gives the ball to the kicker she places the ball on the ground the Ref with his back to her is walking away to be clear of her. Just before he turns to blow his whistle to start she kicks the ball the keeper blocks the ball. Now is there a problem here?
The Ref did make the kicker rekick the ball after the Ref was ready and blew his whistle to start. This time the kicker scored. And this did change the out come of the game. I'm leaning towards the rekik was the correct thing to do. But it doesn't seem right.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

Technically the referee was correct, although he probably should have cautioned the player for kicking early. He needs to ask himself whether his mechanics of handling the kick were correct. Did he tell the player to wait for the whistle? Why was he walking away with his back turned? Could the early kick have been prevented by better mechanics?

You're correct that it doesn't seem right to allow a rekick. If my back was not turned, I would likely have seen the player begin her movement to the ball, and could have stopped her with a few sharp tweets on the whistle. Or I could have decided that, since she saw something that indicated to her that I must have signalled to begin, the missed kick stands as is. With my back turned, neither option is very viable.

We have another similar question that arrived shortly before yours [17942]. You may want to look at the responses on that one as well.

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

The referee's mechanics were to blame for this situation, and Ref Voshol lists a few ways he could possibly have extricated himself from the mess he created. Here are a few ideas on how to never get into that spot! One never turns one's back on a ball at a restart! Back or sidestep away. And for ceremonial restarts like KFTPM, you absolutely make sure they know they may only move on your whistle. Should they fail to hear you, everybody else saw you show the whistle, which has universal meaning. And when you then either count it as a miss, or call a rekick if it scored, no one will question why.

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

The problem is all with the referee, giving his back to a free kick, not ensuring the kicker wait for a signal, failing to caution for the unsorting behavior before demanding the rekick. All on the referee. The Law is specific on how a penalty kick is taken and a referee should follow what is written, after all the words are there for a reason.

Regards,