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SUBSTITUTE INTERFERENCE ON PENALTY KICKER?

Question: Red team is awarded a penalty kick. During the taking of the kick, a substitute from the Blue team enters the field and interferes with the kicker. Nevertheless, the kick is taken but the ball does not enter the goal.

The referee stops play if the ball has not left the field. What is the restart in any case?

Answer: Let's break the question down as follows:

1. A substitute from the Blue team enters the field of play and interferes with the player taking the penalty kick before the penalty kick is taken.

Solution: The referee stops the game, cautions the substitute player, asks that player to leave the field of play, and restarts with the taking of the penalty kick.

• Law 3 in "Infringement and Sanctions" says that if a substitute interferes with play, the referee should stop the game. In this case, the substitute has interfered with the player taking the penalty kick before he makes contact with the ball, and that is why the referee has to stop the game.

2. A substitute from the Blue team enters the field of play and interferes with the player taking the penalty kick after the player has made contact with the ball.

Solution: In this case, the substitute has interfered with the player taking the penalty kick after the player has made contact with the ball. The referee has to act in accordance with Laws 5 and 14:

• In the 2012-2013-FIFA Laws of the Game, in the section "Interpretation of the Laws of the Game and Guidelines for Referees," the referee is given the power to apply the advantage if an infringement on the Laws of the Game has occurred.
• If the ball enters the goal, the goal is awarded to the attacking team, as the team committing an infringement cannot gain an unfair advantage from an infringement on the Laws of the Game. Giving an indirect free kick will not benefit the attacking team.
• If the ball does not enter the goal, the penalty kick has to be retaken for the same reasoning as above. The attacking team has not benefited from the infringement.
• The substitute must be shown the yellow card and asked to leave the field of play.

Arturo Angeles
Cal South State Director of Instruction