I am confused (not for the first time)

[Glyndwr]

LAW 21.7 WHAT THE OPPOSING TEAM MUST DO AT A PENALTY KICK (a) Must run from the mark. The opposing team must immediately run towards their own goal line until they are at least 10 metres away from the mark for the penalty kick, or until they have reached their goal line if that is nearer the mark. (b) Must keep running. Even if the penalty kick is taken and the kicker's team is playing the ball, opposing players must keep running until they have retired the necessary distance. They must not take part in the game until they have done so. (c) Kick taken quickly. If the penalty kick is taken so quickly that opponents have no opportunity to retire, they will not be penalised for this. However, they must continue to retire as described in 21.7(b) above or until a team mate who was 10 metres from the mark has run in front of them, before they take part in the game.

It's (b) which is confusing me. I cannot picture a situation where the opponents will be within 10 metres other than at a quickly taken kick - described in (c).

Can somebody describe one for me please - and if they can, is it correct that a retiring player in this situation cannot be played onside by an advancing team-mate?

 

[Gareth-Lee Smith]

My interpretation:

Picture the touchjudge signalling (absolutely IMMEDIATELY as the ref signals the penalty) 10m back from the mark in touch and standing there.

Black player takes penalty with Blue defender 5m away from him (therefore 5m from the line that the TJ is marking). Black runs at blue. Blue either has another penalty against him for interfering with play having not retired to the TJ's line, or runs backwards so that he crosses the imaginary line that the TJ marked, thus putting him back in the game and perfectly legal. A quick-tap penalty is a common way for this to come about.

Does that sort you out?

And yes, you are correct in that a player who has retreated 10m cannot put this guy back in the game.

 

[Bungle]

The key words are 'taken so quickly' and 'before they take part in the game'.

At quick penalties the law is trying to reward positive, fast play by both teams and prevent negative play by both teams.

Positive, fast play would involve the attacking side having the equivalent tactical and territorial options as a 10 metre gap and the defensive side making an effort to retreat. Negative play would involve either the attacking side just fishing for a further penalty ten metres up the pitch (usually indicated by running into a defender who is trying to retreat when there is space), lazy running by the defence (arms in the air isn't enough!) or obvious interference by defenders (trying to tackle, running sideways to cut down options etc).

It is your judgement when to apply the 'so quickly' exemption for the defence. It is your judgement as to when a defender is taking part in the game or trying not to. Experience on the pitch is the best way to learn this one.

In many ways this scenario is quite similar to offside in open play where an offside player is only 'liable to penalty'. Again, your judgement becomes key.

 

[OB..]

Law 21.7 (b) specifies that players must retire 10 metres ASAP. I agree this is only really likely to matter at a quick tap.

21.7 (c) has two purposes: it says that merely being offside under 21.7 (b) is not a penalty offence. As usual it only becomes one if the player interferes with play.
The second point is that a player retiring as required CAN be put on-side by a team-mate by a team-mate who started the necessary 10 metres away. However that does not appear to apply to a team-mate who has retreated the 10 metres after the kick.

Realistically, if you can keep track of all such players, you are working miracles. Just ensure that the first players to make contact after a quick tap have come from 10 metres away (or the tapping team have played them on-side).

If there is an opponent alongside the tapper, ensure that he does not just run 5 metres alongside him and then assume he has been put onside under 11.3 (a). He counts as a loiterer.

 

[FlipFlop]

Doesn't law 21.7 (b) requiring a player to retreat ASAP also allow you to advance 10 for players holding onto the ball on the ground/not letting players up etc. to stop the posibility of a quick tap, allowing the defence to realign?

 

[ex-lucy]

i usually talk the nearby players thru quick taps with entreaties like ... "leave him, 12" .... "ok, now you can tackle him, 12"

it is good to make the mark and back off some distance immediately to get a wide picture of what is occurring ... the wider the vision, then more players come into view so enabling better judgement ... to a certain extent.