A couple of days ago there were rumours that the penalty rule in the Premier League and the Champions League was about to change.
The rumour suggested that once a penalty is saved or hits the post the ball would be considered dead which cancels out any chances of a rebound.
Talking on Sky Sports, former Premier League official Dermot Gallagher explained: “We’ve seen Manchester United’s Paul Pogba this year score a penalty from his own rebound and on Saturday the Arsenal penalty was saved and the players chased it down and the ball was still alive.
“Now if it hits the post or the goalkeeper saves and it comes back out to the forward, the game will be stopped, there’ll be no second chance.”
But after the 133rd annual general meeting of the International Football Association Board (IFAB) it has been concluded that the penalty rule will NOT be changing.
As reported by the Mirror: “The IFAB did think about it but dropped the idea back in November. As such it wasn’t on the agenda in Aberdeen last week at the AGM.
“Thus, while rebounds remain very much a thing, so too will encroachment, as defenders seek to get back to clear potential rebounds ahead of the penalty-taker -such as that from Jan Vertonghen in the weekend’s north London derby.”
The IFAB declared: “Contrary to some incorrect reports in the media related to the penalty kick procedure (Law 14), the ball will remain in play in the event of a penalty kick rebounding from the goalkeeper, crossbar or goalposts.”
The board did make an announcement that a definition of a handball will be made more precise.
The IFAB said: “On the topic of defining handball, a decision was taken by The IFAB to provide a more precise and detailed definition for what constitutes handball, in particular with regard to the occasions when a non-deliberate/accidental handball will be penalised.
“For example, a goal scored directly from the hand/arm (even if accidental) and a player scoring or creating a goal-scoring opportunity after having gained possession/control of the ball from their hand/arm (even if accidental) will no longer be allowed.”
The IFAB AGM in a nutshell:
- The penalty rule will not be changing.
- The definition of a handball will be made more precise.
- Substitutes can leave the pitch at the nearest touchline instead of going of exiting from the half-way line.
- Goalkeepers will need to have only one foot on the line during the penalty as of 2019-20.
