Radical change proposed to the penalty rule

FIFA Referees Committee Chairman Pierluigi Collina has proposed that the attacking team should not be granted a second attempt from a penalty. Under the proposal, a ball rebounding off the goalkeeper or the crossbar could not be completed. If the penalty does not result in a goal, the referee would stop play and the defending team would restart with a goal kick.

Collina noted that roughly 75 percent of penalties end in a goal and argued that attacking teams have a major advantage over goalkeepers. In his view, a team that fails to take advantage of an opportunity with such a high chance of scoring should not get a second or third chance in the same situation.

Under the current rule, as long as the ball saved by the goalkeeper or rebounding off the crossbar stays in play, the situation continues and attacking players can score by completing the ball. If the proposal is accepted, penalties will be decided by a single attempt, as in a penalty shootout. The aim is to balance the contest between the goalkeeper and the attacking player.

Completing rebounds has also been decisive in major tournament matches. In the 2005 UEFA Champions League final, Liverpool's Xabi Alonso scored from a rebound off Milan goalkeeper Dida's save, bringing the score to 3-3. England's goal against Denmark at EURO 2020, when Harry Kane struck a rebound, came from a similar situation. Had the proposed change been in force in those matches, those goals would not have counted.