Question Number: 29847

Law 14 - Penalty kick 10/23/2015

Scott of Livermore, CA USA asks...

The correct answer for the following question on a re-certification test was TRUE. That doesn't seem right to me. What am I missing?

The time of the half has been extended to allow for the taking of a penalty kick. The kick, correctly taken, rebounds off the crossbar and deflects into the goal off the goalkeeper. You should not award a goal because the forward motion of the ball stopped at the first rebound.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Scott
The answer to this question is incorrect. It is FALSE. Interestingly this question was asked in 2014 on the site with no answer provided by the questioner. We answered FALSE at that time also
Law 14 is quite specific on this and it states
** 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**
Nowhere is forward motion mentioned and a TRUE answer is totally erroneous.
To avoid any confusion, and for those who are looking for a simple solution, the momentum of the kick is the crucial point in deciding when a penalty kick has been completed. So no matter how many combinations of goalpost, crossbar, goalkeeper's body parts etc. are involved, if the ball ends up in the goal because of the energy imparted onto it by the kick, a goal must be allowed. To confirm that a former FIFA Q&A had a detailed section on Law 14 scenarios. To quote the relevant one
**    When is a penalty-kick considered completed in the event of a match being extended at half-time or full-time to allow it to be taken, or in the event of kicks being taken from the penalty-mark to determine the winner of a match?
Here one must refer to Law 14 - Penalty-kick, Decision No 6 of the International F.A. Board.
The player taking the penalty-kicks the ball which, having rebounded from either goal-post or the cross-bar, rebounds back into play, hits the goalkeeper and passes entirely over the goal-line, between the goal-posts and beneath the cross-bar.
Decision: Goal, the penalty-kick (or kicks from the penalty-mark is over and therefore the extended time also, if applicable. **
It needs to be brought to the attention of the relevant authority as it is in errors like this that these myths get life and are then perpetuated. I would like to think that it was a typo or a facilitator got it wrong.
I would be interested to know if there was any debate on the matter from those present?

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Scott,
you are missing nothing except an instructor who has not proof read the test? The answer is FALSE. This should be brought to the attention of District supervisor in your area to ensure the test alteration is made to correct the myth ! Let Farhad Mansourian know of the test glitch he is the CNRA State Director of Referee Development taking over for Tim Weyland
farhadmansourian@gmail.com

Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

Just weighing in to confirm that the correct answer to the question is FALSE. 'Forward momentum' isn't about literal, forward movement. It's really about the 'initial momentum'. The kick is clearly still moving from the energy from the kick, so it's a goal.

The following questions were asked as a follow up to the above question...

See Question: 29855