First offence by goalkeeper at penalty kicks
The first offence by goalkeeper at penalty kicks: how do you deal with that according to the Laws of the Game? And what if the goalkeeper has already received a yellow card for dissent before that penalty kick? You’ll learn all answers based on the case study with Dani Olmo’s penalty against Augsburg goalkeeper Rafał Gikiewicz.
Video of the incident
Have a look at the clip first. Because I want you to learn in the best way possible, I ask you to judge the decisions yourself first. Try to think about everything that happens in the video and write that down. Below the video you’ll see an explanation based on the Laws of the Game.
Positioning from the goalkeeper
So, what is your call? Love to hear if what you’ve written down matches the explanation below. Or maybe you have tips for other referes. Please comment below the blog post then.
First of all, the position of the goalkeeper is important. In the clip the goalkeeper starts behind the goal-line, but that’s not correct. Not according to the Laws of the Game, which states the folowing. “The defending goalkeeper must remain on the goal line, facing the kicker, between the goalposts, without touching the goalposts, crossbar or goal net, until the ball has been kicked.”
And when the goalkeeper starts behind the line it’s an open invite to move forward. When you let him start on the line, he knows where he needs to be.
Goalkeeper on line at moment of penalty kick
Secondly, we’ll look at the moment when the taker of the penalty kick (Olmo) kicks the ball. The laws are very clear on that too: “When the ball is kicked, the defending goalkeeper must have at least part of one foot touching, or in line with, the goal line.”
How to deal with offence by goalkeeper
Thirdly, we look at the fact if the goalkeeper has an influence in the ball being missed. “If the ball misses the goal or rebounds from the crossbar or goalpost(s), the kick is only retaken if the goalkeeper’s offence clearly impacted on the kicker.” Because the goalkeeper saves the ball in this situation, a retake is the correct decision made by Felix Zwayer.
Disciplinary action for the goalkeeper
Lastly, we have to take disciplinary action. “If the goalkeeper’s offence results in the kick being retaken, the goalkeeper is warned for the first offence in the game and cautioned for any subsequent offence(s) in the game.”
Because this was his first offence at a penalty kick, the goalkeeper receives a verbal warning for this action.
Tip to manage the situation
When referee Felix Zwayer awarded the penalty kick, the goalkeeper was booked for dissent. He showed clearly he disagreed with the penalty call. For that first penalty kick, the goalkeeper receives a verbal warning. But as referee you want to prevent to show a goalkeeper coming from his line. Especially in this situation, as another offence would mean a yellow card, which would be the 2nd yellow for the goalkeeper.
Sending-off a goalkeeper is correct in law, but will be an unpopular decision to make. That would lead to disbelief and could make the rest of the game quite difficult if the team is very unwilling towards you. Yes, you still need to make that call if it happens, but with good management skills you might be able to prevent a 2nd yellow card. During the game, you could hear referee Felix Zwayer. He clearly warns the goalkeeper it should not happen a “zweite Mal”, a second time. As referee, make that very clear to the goalkeepers. You might even inform the captain, who then will tell his goalkeeper for sure. Managing it that way can help you a lot during the rest of the game.
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