Goalkeepers who like to indulge in the art of gamesmanship on penalty kicks will soon find their job is about to get a lot harder.
That's because the International Football Association Board (IFAB) is set to bring in a series of rules changes ahead of the new season that includes what a goalkeeper can and can't do from a spot-kick. And distracting the penalty-taker is seemingly off the table.
As laid out in the IFAB's law changes 2023/24 report, Law 14 'The penalty kick' states: "Clarification that the goalkeeper must not behave in a manner that fails to show respect for the game and the opponent, i.e. by unfairly distracting the kicker."
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Further clarification on the amended rule says: "The defending goalkeeper must remain on the goal line, facing the kicker, between the goalposts, without touching the goalposts, crossbar or goal net, until the ball is kicked. The goalkeeper must not behave in a way that unfairly distracts the kicker, e.g. delay the taking of the kick or touch the goalposts, crossbar or goal net."
The updating ruling means that common goalkeeper tactics such as banging their boots against either post or 'bouncing' the crossbar will be outlawed. Distracting the kicker could be interpreted in a number of different ways but the goal line antics of Argentina goalkeeper Emi Martinez at the Qatar World Cup would likely not stand up to the scrutiny of the law change.
The updated penalty kick rule was one of nine tweaks to the laws of the game, which also included an updated explanation of the offside rule. The additional wording clarifies the guidelines for distinguishing between ‘deliberate play’ and ‘deflection’ based on the expectation that a player who is clearly in an offside position should not become onside on all occasions when an opponent moves and touches the ball.
The changes to the penalty kick rule appear to strongly favour the penalty-takers, with goalkeepers now having to come up with different ways of getting into the minds of the opponents from 12 yards. The news IFAB rules are set to take effect from July 1, 2023.
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