What is Penalty

A penalty kick is a type of free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards (approximately eleven metres) out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.

A penalty kick is performed during normal play. Similar kicks are made in a penalty shootoutnot to determine who progresses after a drawn match; though similar in procedure these are penalty kicks and are governed by different rules.

Award

A penalty kick may be awarded when a defending player commits a foul punishable by a direct free kick against an opponent or a handball, within their own penalty area (commonly known as "the box" or "18 yard box"). Note that it is the location of the offence — and not the position of the ball — that defines whether a foul is punishable by a penalty kick or direct free kick, provided the ball is in play.

The referee signals the award of a penalty kick by blowing the whistle and pointing to the penalty mark.

Penalty area

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Schematic of a association footballpitch, the penalty areas are the larger of the two rectangular regions surrounding the goals at both ends of the pitch

The penalty area (colloquiallly also known as the 18-yard box, penalty box or simply the box), is an area of an association football pitch. It is rectangular and extends 16.5 metres (18 yards) to each side of the goal and 16.5 metres in front of it. Within the penalty area is the penalty spot (or penalty mark), which is 11 metres (12 yards) from the goal line, directly in-line with the centre of the goal. A penalty arc adjoins the penalty area, and encloses the area within 9.15 metres (10 yards) from the penalty spot; it does not form part of the penalty area and is only of relevance during the taking of a penalty kick.^[1]

Previously, penalty areas extended the width of the field, but were reduced to their current dimensions in 1901.

Functions

A player taking a penalty kick from inside the penalty area.

Fouls punishable by a direct free kick (i.e. handling the ball and most physical fouls), committed by the defensive team within the penalty area, may be penalised by a penalty kick. A penalty kick is taken from the penalty spot.

The penalty area has other functions, including:

• Goalkeepers: The area delimiting the area in which a goalkeeper may legally handle the ball;
• Goal kicks: The ball is not in play until it has left the area, and opposing players must remain outside the area until this time;
• Defensive direct free kicks and indirect free kicks: Again, the ball is not in play until it has left the area, and opposing players must remain outside the area until this time;
• Taking of penalty kicks: players other than the kicker and the goalkeeper must remain outside the area (and also the penalty arc) until the kick has been taken.