Although there were no
British teams involved, I'm sure like me many of you watched
last season's European Champions Cup final between AC Milan and
Juventus on television. We were promised an exciting match
between two of the continents most talented teams but what we
got was a yawn-making 0-0 draw.
It's funny that when you have
no interest in who wins, even the penalty-kick decider at the
end had little excitement. To me, the most noteworthy aspect of
that, was how far the goalkeepers came off their goal line
before the kick was taken, without the referee having the kick
re-taken when it was saved.
I have had to judge
goalkeepers moving many times and it is not always easy but on
one occasion in the final, the goalkeeper almost reached the
edge of the goal area without being checked. Of course I was not
the only one to pick up on this lax interpretation of the
law.
This year's annual
information and instruction sheet sent to every referee from
FIFA, included additional instructions with the pithy comment
'Nowadays, infringements often occur at a penalty kick, yet the
referee seldom takes action. 'The goalkeeper,' it reminded
pointedly, 'infringes if he moves from his goal-line before the
ball has been kicked. Referees must ensure that when players
infringe this law, appropriate action is taken'.
The footballing authorities
have been concerned about this lack of action at penalty kicks
for some time. In 2000 the law was changed, adding to the
assistant referees' duties; 'to indicate whether at a penalty
kick the goalkeeper has moved before the ball has been kicked
and if the ball has crossed the line'.
The reason is simple of
course. It is very difficult, unless you have wide-angled
vision, to watch the goalkeeper and the goal line, the kicker
and the players on the edge of the penalty area all at the same
time. By passing the responsibility of the goal line to the
assistant referee, the referee can concentrate on any players
encroaching into the area.
So it was the fault of the
assistant referee at the final, or was it? Only last season, one
referee, when I ran the line at a cup semi-final, said 'Leave
the line and goalkeeper to me at any penalty'. Even when
referees play by the book and allow their assistants to take the
goalkeeper, some require what I call secret signals. In other
words they ask that, if the goalkeeper moves and a goal has not
been scored, the assistant referee should indicate by standing
still.
I know one colleague at least
who on more than one occasion has observed this requirement,
only for play to be allowed to continue. He doesn't know whether
the referees have deliberately ignored him or in the euphoria
that surrounds a penalty save, have just not realised he is
standing still.
I believe that if the
goalkeeper moves too soon in making a save, the assistant
referee should raise his flag, to make his indication quite
clear.
Incidentally, I was asked
recently by someone who saw a penalty in another televised game.
'Aren't goalkeepers supposed to stand still on the goal line?'
He would have been right a few years ago but the law was changed
in 1997 allowing the goalkeeper to move along his line, provided
he faces the kicker. Another fallacy is that if the goalkeeper
moves but the kicker blasts the ball outside the goal posts or
over the cross bar, there is no necessity to re-take the kick as
he wouldn't have scored anyway. That is not the case, it must
still be re- taken.
An early illustration that at
least one referee was taking notice was at the pre-season
Reading friendly against Southampton when Nicky Shorey was
ordered to re-take his penalty kick. I'm sure we will see many
more re-takes before the season ends.
Dick Sawdon Smith