The Penalty Kick | The Rules of Football

Introduction

A penalty kick is awarded against a team that commits one of the ten offences for which a direct free kick is awarded, inside its own penalty area and while the ball is in play.

A goal may be scored directly from a penalty kick.

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.

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Position of the ball and the players

The ball :

must be placed on the penalty mark

The player taking the penalty kick :

must be properly identified

The defending goalkeeper:

must remain on his goal line, facing the kicker, between the goalposts until the ball has been kicked

The players other than the kicker must be located :

inside the field of play
outside the penalty area
behind the penalty mark at least 9.15 m (10 yds) from the penalty mark

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Procedure

After the players have taken positions in accordance with this Law, the referee signals for the penalty kick to be taken
The player taking the penalty kick must kick the ball forward
He must not play the ball again until it has touched another player
The ball is in play when it is kicked and moves forward

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.

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Infringements and sanctions

If the referee gives the signal for a penalty kick to be taken and, before the ball is in play, one of the following occurs :

the player taking the penalty kick infringes the Laws of the Game :

the referee allows the kick to be taken
if the ball enters the goal, the kick is retaken
if the ball does not enter the goal, the referee stops play and the match is restarted with an indirect free kick to the defending team from the place where the infringement occurred

the goalkeeper infringes the Laws of the Game :

the referee allows the kick to be taken
if the ball enters the goal, a goal is awarded
if the ball does not enter the goal, the kick is retaken

a team-mate of the player taking the kick infringes the Laws of the Game :

the referee allows the kick to be taken
if the ball enters the goal, the kick is retaken
if the ball does not enter the goal, the referee stops play and the match is restarted with an indirect free kick to the defending team from the place where the infringement occurred

a team-mate of the goalkeeper infringes the Laws of the Game :

the referee allows the kick to be taken
if the ball enters the goal, a goal is awarded
if the ball does not enter the goal, the kick is retaken

a player of both the defending team and the attacking team infringe the Laws of the Game :

the kick is retaken

If, after the penalty kick has been taken :
the kicker touches the ball again (except with his hands) before it has touched another player :

an indirect free kick is awarded to the opposing team, the kick to be taken from the place where the infringement occurred (see Rule 13 - Position of Free Kick)

the kicker deliberately handles the ball before it has touched another player :

a direct free kick is awarded to the opposing team, to be taken from the place where the infringement occurred (see Rule 13 - Position of free kick)

the ball is touched by an outside agent as it moves forward :

the kick is retaken

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
play is restarted with a dropped ball at the place where it touched the outside agent, unless it touched the outside agent inside the goal area, in which case the referee drops the ball on the goal area line parallel to the goal line at the point nearest to where the ball was located when play was stopped

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