Temporary dispensation: no cautions for goalkeeper encroachment during Kicks from the Penalty Mark

21 JUN 2019

Temporary dispensation related to cautions for goalkeeper encroachment during Kicks from the Penalty Mark at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019

The IFAB Board of Directors today approved a request from FIFA for a temporary dispensation relating to Kicks from the Penalty Mark (KFPM) in Law 10 – Determining the Outcome of a Match at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019.

The Law currently states that “if the goalkeeper commits an offence and, as a result, the kick is retaken, the goalkeeper must be cautioned”. The purpose of the caution (yellow card) is to act as a deterrent to the goalkeeper to not infringe the Laws of the Game, in particular by not encroaching from the goal line before the kick is taken. However, in matches where Video Assistant Referees (VARs) are being used, the presence of the VARs acts as an even greater deterrent to goalkeepers as they know that any encroachment will be detected by the VARs if it is not detected by the on-field match officials.

The IFAB fully supports goalkeepers being penalised for not conforming with the Laws of the Game and gaining an unfair advantage. However, for any KFPM during the knockout stages of the on-going FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019 in France, a temporary dispensation has been given to FIFA from the requirement to caution a goalkeeper who is penalised for an offence which results in a kick being retaken.

The main reasons for this temporary dispensation include:

- the presence of VARs acts as a far greater deterrent than the caution

- the presence of VARs greatly increases the likelihood of any offence being detected and, as goalkeepers are likely to face a number of kicks during KFPM, there is a higher risk that a goalkeeper will be sent off for receiving a second caution if already cautioned in normal time, or two cautions during the KFPM

- unlike during ‘normal time’, when a sent-off goalkeeper can usually be 'replaced' by the team substituting an outfield player for a specialist reserve goalkeeper, substitutions are not allowed in KFPM so an outfield player would have to become the goalkeeper

Both FIFA and The IFAB therefore believe that the requirement to caution an offending goalkeeper in KFPM in matches with VARs is not necessary and risks unfairly distorting the KFPM if a goalkeeper is sent off.

The IFAB confirms that this temporary dispensation does not apply to penalty kicks during ‘normal time’ because goalkeepers have already received cautions for this offence during the tournament and it would be unfair to change at this point of the competition. In contrast, KFPM are only introduced for the forthcoming knockout stages. 

The IFAB believes that this request could bring greater fairness to the FIFA Women’s World Cup; the experience gathered will enable further consideration of the impact of VARs on penalty kicks, and especially KFPM, in the future.

naptu2:


I predicted that this would happen. I said it at the end of May.


This World Cup reminds me of USA '94. The best 3rd placed teams also progressed to the knockout stage at USA '94, but more importantly, there were also rule changes ahead of USA '94.


Marco Van Basten was one of my favourite strikers in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He scored great goals for AC Milan and Holland and he won the 1989 and 1990 European Cup titles with Milan.

However, Italian football had the hardest tackling defenders back then and their tackles took a toll on Van Basten. He repeatedly suffered ankle injuries. Then, in the final of the 1993 European Cup/Champions League, Basile Boli made a viscious tackle on Van Basten and that tackle practically ended his career.

FIFA were unhappy that Van Basten would not play in the 1994 World Cup and they therefore banned tackles from behind (just before the World Cup). Any tackle from behind would result in a red card.

Backpasses were also banned (because of Cameroon's habit of constantly passing the ball to their goalkeeper at the 1990 World Cup).

These rules were implemented at the 1994 World Cup and these led to many complaints. A British magazine at the time wrote that the referee was blowing his whistle as if he was a traffic cop. A commentator said that a referee gave someone a yellow card simply for breathing.

Commentators, footballers, coaches and analysts complained about the referee's decisions.


The problem I had when I heard about these new rules at the end of May was that FIFA was going to start implementing the rules at the World Cup!

I've always wondered why FIFA and IFAB always introduce these rules just before a World Cup competition. The World Cup is meant to be the most important football competition and there's a lot at stake. Why don't they first try out these new rules during league games, so that referees, players, coaches, fans, commentators and analysts will get used to them before introducing them at the highest level of the game?

By the way, for those saying that it's only Nigerians that are complaining, either because they are biased or sentimental, note that it's not only Nigerians that are complaining. Many foreigners are also complaining and this is because a new rule has just been implemented at the highest level of the game. There are always complaints from all over the world when this happens.

dfrost:
After they almost our team the second round.

dfrost:
After they almost cost our team the second round.

The annoying thing to me is the trauma the poor girl faced at the center of all that brohaha. She was saying "what did I do? what did I do?"

It really pained me.

goldfish80:
Over legislation will finally kill this game.

ShawtCake:
space booker spotted

ShawtCake:
space booker spotted