Question Number: 22796

Law 14 - Penalty kick 2/5/2010

RE: Adult

Steve of Burleigh, Qld Australia asks...

This question is a follow up to question 22791

Which way forward? There are two re-starts which refer to the ball being kicked forward, (kick-off and penalty kick). If in both situations all other requirements are correct, if a player faces his own goal and back-heels the ball, so that it travels towards the other goal, is this forward? If he were to do this at the penalty kick, is this an infringement? It is not the usual procedure and so would be a surprise to the GK, possibly under the feinting category, but if the ball went into the goal, would you disallow it?

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

You are correct that in order for the ball to be put into play at a penalty kick, it must be kicked and moved forward. It is also true that once a restart has been awarded, anything that happens before the ball is put into play does not change the restart. Example: Blue is awarded a corner kick. Before the ball is put into play a Blue player punches a Red player. After the Blue player is sent off, what is the restart? A corner kick. I could give examples all night but I'm sure you understand what I mean. Yet a few years ago, the IFAB made what is to me the most incomprehensible decision I've ever seen made and not only flies in the face of tradition but disobeys a fundamental rule, that being, if the ball is not put into play, nothing can change the restart. At the taking of a penalty kick, the kicker back heels the ball to a teammate. What is the restart? Well, the ball never moved forward so the restart HAS to be a penalty kick, right? No. The restart is an indirect free kick to the opponents. Even though the ball was never put into play, the restart has changed. Advice To Referees now explains this seemingly nonsensical decision

14.12 KICKER BACK HEELS THE BALL
If, after the referee has whistled for the penalty kick to be taken, the identified kicker back heels or
kicks the ball backwards to a teammate who kicks it into the goal, the International Board has
determined that this particular violation of Law 14 is to be regarded as failure to follow the procedures
outlined in Law 14. In this situation (whether the ball is subsequently kicked into the goal or not), the
restart is an indirect free kick for the opponents at the penalty mark.

When IFAB came up with this, the unofficial reasoning I heard spread around was that the kicker had made such a mockery of the Game, that he forfeited his right to take the penalty kick. Had he pulled out a gun and shot the goalkeeper, and the game wasn't abandoned, the restart would have still been a penalty kick. Someone else would have to take it but murdering the keeper would not change the restart. However, making a mockery of the Game would! Go figure.

There has been no official reasoning for this decision that I know of but given how the folks at IFAB viewed the backheeling of the ball when the ball wasn't put into play, I can only guess that they would find fault with the kicker and disallow the goal even though the ball was properly put into play.

As for the kick-off? That, to me is a huge "who cares" and I'd let play continue as the ball was kicked and moved forward.

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

Like Ref Contarino, I find the change of heart by FIFA between 2004 & 2005 to be a bit odd, but in retrospect, it is an appropriate punishment in a very specific situation. In the FIFA Q&A 2004, the back heel results in a retake of the penalty kick because the ball never went forward! But in 2005, the Q&A says:

'A player taking a penalty kick back heels the ball to a team-mate who
kicks the ball into the goal. What action does the referee take?
The referee stops play and restarts the match with an indirect free kick
to the defending team at the penalty mark.'

A National Referee of my acquaintance told me this happened in a game of his in which he was being assessed for his national upgrade. At the time, we were taught to retake the kick, but he felt the kicker was disrespecting the game and awarded an IDFK. The assessor told him it was a good thing he did, because he would have failed him otherwise! He was a little ahead of his time, I guess.

Interestingly enough, the same change happened on the Q&A involving a teammate who rushes in after the referee has signaled and takes the kick instead of the his teammate. In 2004, the kick is retaken. In 2005:

'When a penalty kick is being taken, and after the referee has given
the necessary signal, a team-mate of the player identified to take the
kick suddenly rushes forward and takes it instead. What action does
the referee take?
The referee stops play and restarts the match with an indirect free kick
to the defending team where the infringement occurred i.e. where
the player advanced closer than 9.15m. The player is cautioned for
unsporting behaviour.'

By the way, forward means the direction the ball is supposed to travel, i.e toward the opponent goal, not which direction the kicker is facing. So, in that context, back heeling the ball means the ball was kicked away from the goal, instead of forward toward it.

As for the kickoff, if they can't kick it forward, we just keep redoing it until they figure it out. Sometimes it helps to ask the captain to have a different player perform the kick.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Referee Steve
Forward at a penalty is towards the goal and forward at a kick off is into the other half.
As regards back heeling the ball towards goal on a penalty kick , as a referee I will not signal for the penalty kick to be taken until the goalkeeper is on the line facing the kicker and the kicker is ready to take the penalty. Facing away from goal is not being ready in my book. If the taker after the signal runs up and does a twist that back heels the ball toward goal all in one movement then IMO that is okay. If the player stopped on the run up, turned around and back heeled towards goal I would not allow that. If it went into the goal it is a caution and a retake. If it missed then it is a caution and an IDFK from the penalty spot.