Kicks from the penalty mark: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

Kicks from the penalty mark (commonly referred to as a penalty shootout) are used to decide who will progress to the next stage of a tournament in elimination games of association football (soccer) which are still tied after both ordinary time and extra time. Note that in the Copa Libertadores, kicks from the penalty mark are used immediately after the end of a two-legged tie that is level on aggregate, with no extra time.

Kicks from the penalty mark are not part of the penalty kick law and are not penalty kicks. However, they follow essentially the same procedure as penalty kicks and are popularly referred to as "penalties". Unlike penalty kicks, players other than the kicker and the defending goalkeeper must remain in the center circle (other than the kicking team's goalkeeper, who stands on the junction of goal line and penalty area near to the assistant referee).

Under the Laws of the Game kicks from the penalty mark do not form part of the match proper, and goals scored are not part of the game score. Furthermore, strictly speaking kicks from the penalty mark do not result in a game winner; the game remains a tie and the result of the kicks is merely used to select a winner to progress to the next stage of the tournament. However, in popular usage a team is often said to have "won on penalties", and such games often have their result rendered as (for example): "Team A 2-2 Team B (aet), Team A won 5-4 on penalties".

Procedure

All players other than the kicker and the goalkeepers must remain in the field's centre circle (see above).

Each kick is taken in the general manner of a penalty kick. Each kick is taken from the penalty mark, with the goal only defended by the opposing goalkeeper. The goalkeeper must remain between the goal-posts on his goal-line until the ball has been kicked.

Teams take alternating turns to kick from the penalty mark, until each has taken five kicks or one side has scored more goals than the other side could possibly score.

If at the end of these five rounds of kicks the teams have scored an equal number of goals, sudden death rounds of one kick each are used until one side scores and the other does not.

No player is allowed to take a second kick from the penalty mark until all other players on his team have taken a kick from the penalty mark (including the goalkeepers). However, if at the beginning of kicks from the penalty mark one side has more players on the field than the other, then the side with more players shall select one or more players as necessary to not take part. For example, if Team A has 11 players but Team B only has 10, then Team A will choose a player not to take part. Note that it is not allowed to de-select a goalkeeper from simply having to take part in kicking from the penalty mark: players de-selected cannot play any part in the procedure.