Changes To Football Rules Would Benefit Goalkeepers At Penalties

Football could soon see a change in the amount of penalties saved with a change to the rules that will include allowing goalkeepers to keep just one foot on the line before the spot kick is taken.

There's nothing more wonderful in football, and I realise I probably say that a lot, than watching the goalkeeper from 'your' team save a penalty. The sudden change from inevitable dread to outlandish shock and delight in unparalleled.

Of course the opposite to that feeling is watching your team miss a penalty or have it saved, a feeling England fans were far too familiar with between 1990 and this year, before Gareth Southgate's team somehow pulled off the seemingly impossible.

In recent years the rules around penalties have been changed with fouls inside the box less likely to result in a red card as it's considered double jeopardy, there are still exceptions of course.

But once you've conceded a penalty there's still a good chance that you're going to concede a goal, soon though those chances could be about to come down.

The Daily Mail reports that the International Football Association Board, the rule making body, have recommended that from 2019/20 goalkeepers will only need to keep one foot on the line when facing penalties.

Goalkeeper moves off his line as the ball is struck. Image: PA Images

At the moment goalies can move across their line but must stay on it until the taker has hit the ball but the changes would allow some movement off the line, as long as one foot stayed on it.

Of course part of the problem is that referees rarely actually stop keepers from going early off their line and it almost seems unfair the occasions that they do.

The other news regarding penalties is for shootouts where the use of the 'ABBA' system, different from the alternating system, will be dropped.

Soon we won't have to work out if things were deliberate or not. Image: PA Images

IFAB also discussed a change in the handball rules with the body saying a, "more precise and detailed wording for the different types of handball offences," was needed.

The removal of the word 'deliberate' from the current law on handball is likely to be removed to get rid of some confusion. That'll lead to more penalties which will see the keeper with only one foot on the line, and so on...

Topics: Football News, FIFA, Penalty

Ryan Sidle

Ryan is a writer for SPORTbible. He covers all sport from football, formula one, cricket, rugby, tennis, athletics, mma and wrestling. He obviously hates YOUR football team and has no interest in synchronised swimming.

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