It was my wife who spotted it. We were watching the preliminaries for
England's ill-fated 'kicks from the penalty mark' or 'penalty shoot-out', as it is so often commonly called, against Portugal at Euro 2004 back in the summer. 'The referee has just tossed to see which end they are going to take the kicks,'
she said. 'No, it won't be that,' I replied, 'they don't toss for ends. He must have been tossing to see which team would go first'.
But no, the referee was pointing to one end, indicating to the captains, that was to be the goal. He then tossed the coin again for the choice of first or second. 'Well,' I said, not to be proved wrong, 'the law quite clearly states "The referee chooses the goal at which the kicks will be taken"'.
The all-important question is of course, how does he make his choice? His main consideration, should be the state of the ground. Is one end more even than the other? Does one end have a lot of mud, either around the penalty mark or along the goal line? At an evening cup-tie, would the sun be shining in the goalkeeper's eyes at one end?
If all things are equal then the referee just has to make a choice. In local football, it is not likely to make a
difference at which end the kicks are taken but at a senior level there could be another influencing factor - the spectators.
At most professional grounds, the spectators of one club will be positioned behind one goal and the opposing supporters behind the other. How much difference they make to successful taking of the kicks, I'm not really sure, but players certainly like to kick into the goal where their supporters are congregated. Even in less exalted football, spectators can still attempt to exert an influence.
I remember running the line at a cup final at Slough Town ground sometime ago. The attendance was quite small and easily accommodated in the stand at the side of the pitch. However, when we started kicks from the penalty mark, a few supporters of one team came behind he goal and started to shout and gesture at opponents as they took their kicks. It's funny how a few voices in a situation like that, can prove more distraction than thousands all yelling at the top of their voices. The referee and I sent them packing back to the stand.
At a cup-final down in Somerset last year, there was a more subtle distraction, that the referee didn't spot. Unlike some of the players, he was keeping his eyes on the ball. A 25-year old female fan of Wookey FC, stood behind the goal and whenever the opposing players went to take their kicks, she lifted her top and flashed her breasts. Wookey finished 3-2 winners. Their opponents protested to Somerset FA that they had been cheated out of the cup.
There was another protest at a Premiership ground last season in one of the cups, when it was claimed that the referee changed his mind about which goal to use. The team who had to kick into the goal where opposing fans were gathered, felt he had done so under pressure from their opponents. This is why now at senior level, if all other conditions are equal, some referees will make up their
minds by tossing a coin in front of the captains to show there is no favouritism. I can only imagine that is why the Swiss referee did it in Portugal.
I only have one concern. Along with David Beckham, we all remember how bad the ground around the penalty mark was that evening. Did the referee inspect the other end and find it no better, or did he just rely on the toss of the
coin?