New penalty rules for when a goalkeeper encroaches a spot-kick

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Louise Thomas

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Penalties will no longer be automatically retaken if the goalkeeper infringes in the build-up to a spot-kick, under new law changes to be implemented when Uefa competitions resume this week.

Under the law amendments, introduced by the International Football Association Board (IFAB), a goalkeeper’s offence must “clearly affect” the penalty-taker for a spot-kick to be retaken if missed.

And now any first goalkeeping infringement at a penalty will be met with a warning, with a yellow card only issued for repeated issues.

“In particular when the goalkeeper saves the kick (by encroaching), it’s not a caution for the first offence, but (the keeper) must be cautioned for any further offence,” Uefa chief refereeing officer Roberto Rosetti said.

“Most goalkeeper encroachment results from a mis-anticipation from the goalkeeper and small offences are now detected more with the technology, with the video assistant referee.”

The tweaks came into effect on 1 June, the official start of football’s 2020/21 international season, and will be adopted for the remainder of the 2019/20 Champions League, Europa League, Women’s Champions League and Uefa Youth League.

In another law change, yellow cards will no longer be carried forward into penalty shoot-outs.

“According to IFAB and according to the laws of the game, the kicks from the penalty mark are not part of the match – it’s just a way to determine the winner of the match,” Rosetti said.

“So, (previously) if the goalkeeper had a yellow card from the match – from the match or from extra time – and then encroached in the kicks from the penalty mark, of course, then he must be sent off.

“This would be more likely to occur now with VAR, and the goalkeeper can be penalised more than other players. We think that this is a good, important change.”