Penalty kick

For penalties in other sports, see Penalty

A penalty kick is a type of free kick in association football (soccer), taken from twelve yards (approximately eleven metres) out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.

A penalty kick is performed during normal play. Similar kicks are made in a penalty shootout to determine who progresses after a tied match; though similar in procedure these are not penalty kicks and are governed by different rules.

Award

A penalty kick may be awarded when a defending player commits a foul punishable by a direct free kick (a so-called penal foul) against an opponent, within their own penalty area (commonly known as "the box" or "18 yard box"). Note that it is the location of the offence — and not the position of the ball — that defines whether a foul is punishable by a penalty kick or direct free kick, provided the ball is in play.

As penalty kicks so often result in a goal, referees' desisions to award or not are frequently subject to elevated levels of protest from both teams, as well as intense scrutiny afterwards. Though frowned upon, players may try to influence this decision; it is not uncommon for attacking players to go to ground at minimal contact from defenders, or even to "dive" theatrically without a single touch occuring. A blantant attempt at "simulation" warrents a yellow card.

Procedure

The penalty kick is taken from the penalty mark, which is a midline spot 12 yards (10.8 metres) from the goal. The penalty kick taker must be clearly identified to the referee.

All players other than the defending goalkeeper and the penalty taker must be outside the penalty area, behind the penalty mark, and at least ten yards from the ball (i.e. outside the penalty arc) until the ball is kicked. The goalkeeper must remain between the goalposts on the goal-line facing the ball until the ball is kicked, but may move from side to side along the goal-line.

After the referee signals for the kick to be taken, the kicker must kick the ball in a forward direction (not necessarily at the goal, however this is almost always the case). The ball is in play once it has been kicked and moved, and from this point other players may enter the penalty area and play continues as normal, however most often a goal has already been scored.

The penalty kick is a form of direct free kick, meaning that a goal may be scored directly from it. If a goal is not scored, play continues as usual. As with all free kicks, the kicker may not play the ball a second time, until it has been touched by another player, even after a rebound from the posts. However, a penalty kick is unusual in that, unlike general play, external interference directly after the kick has been taken may result in the kick being retaken, rather than the usual dropped-ball.

An own goal may not be scored by the kicking team, although this would be almost impossible since the ball has to be kicked in a forward direction to be a valid penalty kick. If the ball were to wind up in the kicking team's goal (for example, if the kick were to ricochet off the defending team's goalpost, travel the length of the pitch, and go into the opposite goal), a corner kick would be awarded to the defending team. An own goal can result off a penalty if the defending goalkeeper (or another member of the defending side) were to deflect a stopped or errant shot into the defending team's goal.

Infringements

Infractions of the penalty kick law (goalkeeper forward movement, encroaching into forbidden areas) by either team are dealt with using an advantage concept.

Generally:

For infractions by the defending team, should a goal be scored it stands, otherwise the kick is retaken.
For infractions by the kicking team, should a goal be scored the kick is retaken, otherwise an indirect free kick is awarded against his side.
For infractions by both teams, the kick is retaken.
If the kicker plays the ball twice (including following up a rebound off the goalpost not touched by the goalkeeper), an indirect free kick is awarded against his side, as is usual for free kicks.

The referee may also caution (yellow card) players for infringements of the penalty kick law, e.g. repeated encroaching into the penalty area. Note that in practice, most minor penalty kick infractions are not penalised.

Other offences that occur during a penalty kick are dealt with in the usual way.

Strategy

Defending against a penalty kick is one of the most difficult tasks a goalkeeper can face. Due to the short distance between the penalty spot and the goal, there is very little time to react to the shot to try to make the save. Because of this, the goalkeeper will usually start his dive before the ball is actually struck. In effect, the goalkeeper must act on his best prediction about where the shot will be aimed.

As the shooter makes his approach to the ball, the keeper has only a few seconds to "read" the shooter's motions and decide where the ball will go. A goalkeeper may also rely on knowledge of the shooter's past behavior to inform his decision. However, often times the goalkeeper is simply forced to guess.

Even if the keeper does manage to block the shot, the ball may rebound back to the shooter or one of his teammates for another shot, with the keeper often in poor position to make a second save. This is not a concern in penalty shoot-outs, where just a single shot is permitted.

In practice, the majority of penalty kicks result in sucess for the shooter. Of 78 penalty kicks taken during FA Premier League 2005-06 season, 57 (about 73%) resulted in a goal. ^*

History

The invention of the penalty kick is credited to the goalkeeper and businessman William McCrum in 1890 in Milford, County Armagh, Ireland. The Irish Football Association presented the idea to the International Football Association Board and finally after much debate, the board approved the idea on 2 June 1891. It was introduced in the 1891-92 season.

External links

FIFA article on the history of the penalty kick