Penalty kick (association football)
A penalty kick is a direct free shot awarded for certain fouls within the penalty area in association football. Rules cover distance, placement, goalkeeper conduct, retakes and its role in matches and shootouts.
Overview
A penalty kick is a direct attempt to score in association football awarded after a foul or handball committed by the defending team inside its own penalty area. The ball is placed on the penalty mark, 12 yards (11 m) from the goal line, with only the goalkeeper and the penalty taker actively involved in the kick. Penalties are one of the most decisive events in a match because they offer a clear and high-probability scoring opportunity.
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Procedure and key rules
The Laws of the Game set out specific steps and positions for a penalty. Before the kick the referee ensures all players except the taker and the defending goalkeeper are outside the penalty area and behind the ball. The goalkeeper must remain on the goal line between the goalposts until the ball is kicked, though lateral movement along the line is allowed. The taker may place the ball on the mark and take a run-up; once the ball is kicked it becomes in play.
- Distance: penalty mark is 12 yards (11 m) from goal.
- Goalkeeper: must not move forward off the line before the kick.
- Encroachment: other players must stay outside the area and at least 10 yards from the mark.
- Retakes: the kick may be ordered to be retaken if there is an infringement by either side.
History and development
The penalty kick was introduced to deter deliberate fouls near goal and to restore a scoring chance lost through illegal play. Its adoption in the late 19th century marked a change in how the sport punished serious defensive fouls. Over time, specific procedural rules and interpretations—such as goalkeeper movement, VAR review, and encroachment sanctions—have evolved to maintain fairness and consistency.
Importance, variations and notable facts
Penalties occur during normal play and also feature in tie-breaking penalty shootouts. In a shootout the same basic kicking procedure applies but the kicks are taken alternately by teams to decide a drawn match. The psychological and statistical weight of penalties is large: teams train takers for placement, power and deception. Notable tactical elements include the choice of the taker, goalkeeper anticipation, and use of stutter steps or run-up variation.
For an official summary of the modern Laws and practical guidance, see the relevant rules for association football and the Laws of the Game interpretation documents.
Prerequisites and consequences
A penalty kick is awarded if the defending team commits a violation in its penalty area that would be punishable by a direct free kick in the rest of the pitch (usually a foul or a handball). The mere violation of the rules is sufficient, a special severity in the sense of a "penalty worthiness" is, contrary to what is sometimes heard in sports journalism, not a prerequisite. According to the rules in force since 1 June 2016, a penalty kick must also be awarded for offences committed by the defending team's player behind the goal line in the area of his own penalty area or if he throws an object (on or off the pitch) at an opponent who is in the penalty area. In addition, a penalty kick could also be taken by a team official interfering in the match or by a player of the defending team being permanently excluded. The decision to award a penalty kick does not change whether the referee must also award a personal punishment (a caution or - especially in the case of a so-called emergency stop - a sending-off) to the player who committed the offence.
A penalty kick often leads to a goal and can therefore be a game-changing situation. For this reason, players of the attacking team repeatedly try to feign a violation of the rules, for example by dropping themselves in the opponent's penalty area ("swallow"). Such an attempt is punished by the referee with an indirect free kick for the defending team, and the player who faked the infringement is also cautioned.
History
The penalty kick was invented in Ireland in 1891. It was invented by William McCrum, a linen manufacturer and sportsman who was goalkeeper for Milford Everton FC in the Irish Football League from 1890 to 1891. The penalty kick was intended as an equaliser when an opponent deliberately tripped or kicked. In the same year, the Irish FA proposed that the penalty kick be introduced across the board, and after some debate, it was.
In Germany the penalty kick was introduced in 1893. Initially, in both England and Germany, there was no penalty mark in the form of a point, but a line running parallel to the goal line at a distance of 12 yards (i.e. almost exactly 11 metres, which is where the common name comes from) from the goal across the entire pitch, this was also called the 'atonement line'. From everywhere on this line it was allowed to shoot at the penalty kick. The goalkeeper was allowed to stand up to five and a half metres from the goal line. In 1902, the penalty area (often referred to as the 16-yard area) was introduced and the atonement line was replaced by what is now known as the penalty spot, which is 12 yards from the centre of the goal.
Since 1906 the goalkeeper is not allowed to leave the goal line when taking a penalty kick. However, he was allowed to move on the goal line until the shot was taken, which was abolished in 1929, but has been allowed again since 1997.
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AlegsaOnline.com Penalty kick (association football) Leandro Alegsa
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