As a goalkeeper, I always relished penalties. They were the one occasion you could forgive yourself for conceding, yet be hailed a hero for saving.
There was no pressure. Stand there, watch the run-up, try to pick the right side, dive. Stop it, brilliant. Fail, everyone expected you to anyway.
But whatever you did, you stayed on your line. For advancing seemingly millimetres off it would draw the flag of an eagle-eyed linesman perched like a tiger ready to pounce at the opportunity to show their astuteness and understanding of the laws of the game, in what is actually the easiest thing an official could be required to do.
Overnight at the Euros:
» Ireland stun Italy
» Sweden heading home after loss to Belgium
» Hungary and Portugal even in six-goal thriller
» Iceland’s historic victory over Austria
But it seems the higher the level, the less this rule is applied. I’ve always been slightly confused watching professional football, where my focus is often on the keepers more than anyone else. All of them seem to come off their line to some extent in stopping penalties, yet I’ve never seen it pulled up.
Perhaps the most blatant such incident I’ve seen occurred in the Euro 2016 clash to decide the winner of Group D between Spain and Croatia. Sergio Ramos had the chance to give Spain a 2-1 lead with a penalty in the 71st minute, but was kept out by Croatian stopper Danijel Subašić, with his side going on to clinch a late victory.
If Stevie Wonder was a goalkeeper even he would’ve been slightly befuddled as to Subašić’s positioning. He was so far off his line he could’ve punched the ball back into Spain’s goal. He could’ve given David de Gea a high five before saving. As Joey Tribbiani would say, Danijel, “the line is a dot to you”.
So am I missing something? Is the rule misinterpreted in the younger leagues? Does a goalkeeper only have to stay back until the penalty-taker starts their run-up, or is it just not enforced as stringently in higher grades?
Whatever the case, there is a problem with drilling into young keepers that staying on the line is almost as important as actually saving the shot, only for them to watch their heroes given free rein to prance about wherever they like.
It’s a similar case to the ‘six-second rule’, which is applied so rigorously in youth football, yet based on some matches I’ve seen, becomes the ’38-second rule’ at the professional level.
Keepers caress the ball on the ground as though construing its path into their arms as a sexual advance, before the initial passion starts to wear off and they realise that the relationship requires hard work, so they get up and walk around while trying to sort out the differences.
They look behind them to see if there are any better offers, start to resent the ball for being too clingy, bounce it a couple of times as a last warning, and eventually become fed up and kick it away towards their opposite number, who will later make the same mistakes.
I may be slightly biased, but I’m all in favour of anything benefits the most important players on the field, those who stand catching a cold for 89 minutes and then are expected to spring into action to save the game. Those who can prevent ten goals being scored yet be derided for conceding one. Those that make a bad team look good or a good team look bad.
But as someone who was endlessly forced by overzealous officials to stay rooted to the line, and who will never experience the leniency professional keepers are afforded, I think I can be forgiven for being a little annoyed.
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