Question Number: 21539

Law 14 - Penalty kick 6/14/2009

RE: Competitive Adult

Jack of Sydney, New South Wales Australia asks...

I have a question regarding a penalty kick, in which time has been extended to allow the kick to be taken, at the end of the first half of play.

The kick is driven hard into the post and the keeper dives, missing the ball completely. However, the ball hits the keeper in the back from the rebound and slowly rolls towards the goal line (between the posts). Before it crosses, a defender races in and mistakenly clears the ball into his own net. No goal, half-time, right?

Consider this. Instead of kicking the ball away, the defender dives in, hands outstretched, and grabs the ball, preventing it from crossing the goal line. My understanding is that time is up once the kick is completed, ie when the ball loses all momentum or another player touches it.

However, will we be ending the half here, or having another penalty kick? In either case, the defender will be sent-off, right?

A supplementary question regarding outside agents: the laws stipulate a retake if an outside agent interferes as the ball moves forward. This is only the initial 'forward' motion isn't it, ie. before the ball hits the goalposts, crossbar or keeper? I know it's possible for the ball to hit the post, rebound a tiny bit, but have such enormous spin that it is still moving forward after the inital backwards rebound.

Am I correct in assuming it would be a dropped ball rather than a retake if an outside agent interferes after the ball has touched posts, crossbar or keeper?

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

A fascinating question that might get different answers here.

What should have happened, of course, is for the half to be extended until the conclusion of the kick: when the ball's momentum ended as it heading toward goal. The referee must decide when the momentum is over. The deflection off the keeper is irrelevant to when the kicked ends. No one else is supposed to touch the ball, although FIFA has been clear that the referee cannot make the 'other' players (other than kicker and keeper) leave the field.

If the ball had been kicked by another member of the kicking team, it is simple for the referee. Determine that the penalty kick has ended the moment before it was kicked. No harm, no foul, no caution, no goal. Half or match ended.

When the defender kicks the ball, (assuming the defender did not encroach) the defender has not committed a foul. Even if the defender is viewed as committing misconduct (unsporting behavior or bringing game into disrepute), advantage would let the referee not stop play because of the misconduct. Can the referee also decide not that the momentum has ended? That is certainly what I would do. Because the ball's momentum has not expired, half is not over. When the ball enters the goal, it is a good goal. Half over.

When the defender handles the ball to prevent a goal, the defender has committed a penal foul and deserves a sendoff for denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity. Again, if the referee decides that the ball's momentum has not yet been spent, the half/match is not ended. The restart would be another penalty kick. More extended time.

If the referee decides that the half is over when the defender touches the ball, either with the foot or the hand, the half is over. It is not a foul because the ball is not in play. The referee cannot send off the player because the offense is not punishable by a free kick. (DOGSO only occurs when the ball is in play). The referee can caution the defender. The restart (if the half is ended) is the kick off for the next half. Again, if I were the referee, I think that result is unfair to the kicking team. I would not decide that the half is over if the actions that prevented the goal were by the defense.

The toughest call is what to do if the defender successfully clears the ball? It isn't a foul, and I'm not sure I'd consider it misconduct for the defender to clear a ball with the foot when the defender didn't encroach. (If the defender encroached, retaking the kick is an elegant solution.) I'd probably simply end the half and listen to what the assessor thought was the better solution.

If the ball bursts or an outside agent touches the ball during the penalty kick as the ball is moving toward the goal, the restart is a retake of the penalty kick. If it happens during regular play after the ball rebounds off a goal post or cross-bar, the restart is a dropped ball. The FIFA 2006 Q&A indicated that if a ball burst after a rebound during extended time, time is over. Since the tradition has been to treat burst balls and outside agents the same for Law 14, I believe that the answer for outside agent touching the ball during extended time would be the same: touch on the way to the goal: retake the kick; touch after it hits the bar/post, match ended.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

This all could be avoided had the referee made all the other 20 players stay away from the penalty area. While the referee cannot force the players to leave the field he can insist they stand somewhere else, like the center circle and also loudly and clearly state no one may play the ball other than the keeper once the ball has been kicked.

Bit that's not what happened here, is it? So what do we do if players interfere with the kick AFTER the kick has been taken but not completed? The LOTG deal with what happens if there are infringements after the ball is in play but its apparent from their discussion that they are only referring to kicks taken during normal or added time, NOT for extending time at the half for the taking of the kick as they refer to a dropped ball restart (as do you in the last part of your question) which is impossible after a penalty kick which is taken in special extended time as there can be no restart other than the possibility of a retake of the penalty kick.

Although you are not bound by this, Advice To Referees On The Laws Of The Game tells us :

Any interference that occurs after the ball has reached the net (resulting in the ball entering the net, missing the net entirely, or being saved by the goalkeeper) is handled as if the same event had occurred during play.

So, let's look at your questions in this light. First example, the teammate of the keeper has interfered by kicking the ball. What would we do if this occurred during play? We'd award an own goal which is what we would do here. It would be inherently unfair to the kicking team to simply end the half due to the interference. I suppose one could argue that the player was an outside agent in which case you would retake the kick but I think the proper call is award the goal and end the half.

Next you propose what if the defender deliberately handled the ball preventing the goal. In this case, the defender has committed a foul, deliberately handling the ball, and committed one of the 7 sending off offenses, denying an obvious goal by deliberately handling the ball. We now send off the defender and retake the penalty kick. We also would now tell the field players to go stand in the other half of the field.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

This was a question that had us grumbling on the back burner as to what the law allows and what we might prefer.
It is painfully obvious that in EXTENDED PKs the referee MUST announce to all that NO ONE can interfere with play once the PK is taken as the match or half is over upon completion of the PK!
As stipulated the players can still take up normal procedural positions on the field but are foolish to intervene!
There are ONLY two possibilities to consider either the unfair intervention is a retake of the PK or the match/half ends!

YOUR QUOTE
The kick is driven hard into the post and the keeper dives, missing the ball completely. However, the ball hits the keeper in the back from the rebound and slowly rolls towards the goal line (between the posts). Before it crosses, a defender races in and mistakenly clears the ball into his own net. No goal, half-time, right?
Answer **No!**
I want to award the goal, as the team with the PK opportunity is NOT guilty of any infringement. I believe BECAUSE the ball is STILL IN play we can apply advantage as permitted in law 5. The defending player is held accountable and if he had cleared the ball safely a retake for his cheating antics. We could caution for the USB of the act of intervention but no send off as DOGSO criteria point 5 of the send off offences do not apply.
FIFA QUOTES
Additional time is allowed for a penalty kick to be taken at the end of each half or at the end of periods of extra time.

A goal is scored when the whole of the ball passes over the goal line, between the goalposts and under the crossbar, provided that no infringement of the Laws of the Game has been committed previously by the team scoring the goal.

The ball is in play at all other times, including when:
? it rebounds off a goalpost, crossbar or corner flag post and remains in the field of play

When a penalty kick is taken during the normal course of play, or time has been extended at half-time or full time to allow a penalty kick to be taken or retaken, a goal is awarded if, before passing between the goalposts and under the crossbar:
? the ball touches either or both of the goalposts and/or the crossbar and/or the goalkeeper

The referee decides when a penalty kick has been completed.

The referee allows play to continue when the team against which an offence has been committed will benefit from such an advantage and penalizes the original offence if the anticipated advantage does not ensue at that time

End quotes

YOUR QUOTE
Consider this. Instead of kicking the ball away, the defender dives in; a hand outstretched, and grabs the ball, preventing it from crossing the goal line. My understanding is that time is up once the kick is completed, ie when the ball loses all momentum
Answer**YES**
or another player touches it
Answer**NO**
Time is already up what we do now if the ball was moving is decided how the ball was moving and who touched it whether we end the PK or retake regardless of any misconduct.

YOUR QUOTE
However, will we be ending the half here,
Answer **No**
or having another penalty kick?
Answer**Yes** we will retake as in the opinion of the referee the pk was NOT finished!
In either case, the defender will be sent-off, right?
Answer **Yes**the defender could be sent off for violating point 4 of the send off offences ONLY IF the referee was CONVINCED the goal was denied

FIFA QUOTES
The referee decides when a penalty kick has been completed.

A player, substitute or substituted player is sent off if he commits the following offence:
? denying the opposing team a goal or an obvious goal-scoring opportunity by deliberately handling the ball (this does not apply to a goalkeeper within his own penalty area)

A player who commits a cautionable or sending-off offence, either on or off the field of play, whether directed towards an opponent, a team-mate, the referee, an assistant referee or any other person, is disciplined according to the nature of the offence committed.
End quotes

YOUR QUOTE
A supplementary question regarding outside agents: the laws stipulate a retake if an outside agent interferes as the ball moves forward. This is only the initial 'forward' motion isn't it, i.e. Before the ball hits the goalposts, crossbar or keeper?
Answer**NO**
The law does not say \initially/, only *FORWARD*
I know it's possible for the ball to hit the post, rebound a tiny bit, but have such enormous spin that it is still moving forward after the initial backwards rebound.
Answer**YES **
In your own scenario the ball is coming forward towards the goal off the keeper's back. I think we can skirt the LAW conundrum as I can justify a retake if after the ball rebounds off the woodwork/keeper the ball is still travelling forward into the goal and stopped by an outside agent but if it was interfered with as the ball moves away from goal I see no recourse to retake and we must end the match/half!


FIFA QUOTE
On a Pk if the ball is touched by an outside agent as it moves *forward*:
? the kick is retaken

On a Pk the ball rebounds into the field of play from the goalkeeper, the crossbar or the goalposts, and is then touched by an outside agent:
? the referee stops play and awards a drop ball
End quote

YOUR QUOTE
Am I correct in assuming it would be a dropped ball rather than a retake if an outside agent interferes after the ball has touched posts, crossbar or keeper?

Answer **No**
The ball is no longer in play as the time was extended ONLY for the PK to be completed. In this case the Pk CAN NOT be completed so it could only be retaken or the pk is over and the match/half ends. A drop ball or indfk is impossible. There is no time left to consider any alternative except retake or end!

Cheers thanks for a very interesting question