Can a player stop during a penalty run up?

The IFAB lays down the rules for taking a penalty kick for both the taker and the defending goal keeper.

Argentina’s goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez saves a kick by Virgil van Dijk during Argentina vs Netherlands quarterfinal. | Photo Credit: AP

Penalty takers often feint during their run-ups to deceive the goalkeeper and improve their chances of scoring from the spot.

Over the years, feinting and stopping during a penalty run-up have been developed to the point where taking a penalty has been termed an ‘art’.

The ‘Paradinha’, meaning a little stop in Portuguese, was made famous by Pele. More recently, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Bruno Fernandes have tried feinting in penalty run ups.

Even in the ongoing FIFA World Cup, Robert Lewandowski feinted during his penalty kick in Poland’s Round of 16 game against France.

It even led the goalkeepers to develop techniques to shuffle their feet before the kick to confuse the penalty takers.

The rules, however, have changed recently. The International Football Association (IFAB), which lays down the procedures for taking penalty kicks, has made a distinction between feinting and stopping.

While feinting during a run up is allowed, stopping before kicking the ball is no longer permitted.

According to Law 14.1 by IFAB, “Feinting in the run-up to take a penalty kick to confuse opponents is permitted as part of football. However, feinting to kick the ball once the player has completed his run-up is considered an infringement of Law 14 and an act of unsporting behaviour for which the player must be cautioned.”

The other provisions of 14.1 - Procedure of taking a penalty kick - are as follows:

• The ball must be stationary on the penalty mark and the goalposts, crossbar and goal net must not be moving.
• The player taking the penalty kick must be clearly identified.
• 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 has been kicked.
• The player taking the penalty kick must kick the ball forward; backheeling is permitted provided the ball moves forward.
• When the ball is kicked, the defending goalkeeper must have at least part of one foot touching, in line with, or behind, the goal line.
• The ball is in play when it is kicked and clearly moves. The kicker must not play the ball again until it has touched another player.
• The penalty kick is completed when the ball stops moving, goes out of play or the referee stops play for any offence.

Messi, then playing for Barcelona, was once yellow carded in a UEFA Champions League game against AC Milan for feinting before kicking the ball. The goal was disallowed, and Milan was awarded a free kick.

In the 2008 UEFA Champions League final between Manchester United and Chelsea, Cristiano Ronaldo stopped in his run-up against Petr Cech. The attempt would have been disallowed under the current rules.