Former FIFA referee Pierluigi Collina has called for a change to the penalty kick rule, suggesting that players should not be allowed to score from rebounds after a saved or missed spot-kick.
Collina believes there is currently an unfair advantage for penalty takers compared to goalkeepers, with the attacker given another opportunity to score if the goalkeeper saves the initial effort.
I believe there is an excessive gap between the opportunities available to the attacker and those of the goalkeeper.
On average, 75% of penalties are already scored, and often, the penalty kick is a bigger chance than the one taken away by the foul.
On top of that, the attacker is also given a chance to play the rebound off the goalkeeper. In my opinion, goalkeepers should be complaining.
The former referee suggested introducing a ‘one shot’ rule similar to penalty shootouts, where the kick would end immediately after the first attempt.
One solution is the ‘one shot’ rule. Just like in penalty shootouts after extra time.
No rebound. Either you score or play resumes with a goal kick, period.
Collina is regarded as one of football’s greatest referees, having officiated major matches including the 1999 UEFA Champions League final and the 2002 FIFA World Cup final.
He also refereed the 1996 Olympic Games final between Nigeria and Argentina and later became UEFA’s chief refereeing officer in 2017.
