Question:
I am a youth soccer referee. Last evening, a match went to penalty kicks/shootout to determine the winner, during tournament play.
A penalty kick was taken, it directly struck the crossbar, then bounced forward (into the field of play), then struck the back of the goalkeeper’s head, who was “off” the goal line (without infringement) and bounced completely over the goal line, into the goal. Is this a goal?
I checked the FIFA Laws of the Game, and USSF Laws, several websites, but was unable to locate information on this matter.
THANK YOU in advance for your assistance in this matter!
USSF answer (November 14, 2007):
The penalty kick or kick from the penalty mark is not completed until the referee declares it so, and the referee should not declare the kick to be completed if there is any possibility that it is still in play.
To put it another way: So long as the ball is in motion and contacting any combination of the ground, crossbar, goalposts, and goalkeeper, a goal can still be scored.
