Uefa considers change to way penalty shootouts are staged

[JFK-1 1,693]

Interesting proposal

 

Penalty shootouts in football could be transformed to make them fairer under new plans being looked at by Uefa.

 

The sport's European governing body is already trialling a new way for penalties to be taken in decisive shootouts.

 

Instead of teams alternating spot-kicks, Uefa is considering a new system similar to the tie-break in tennis.

 

The system is being tried out at the European Under-17 Championship, which began in Croatia on Wednesday.

 

As it stands, teams take turns in a shootout, with the choice of who goes first decided by a coin toss.

 

For example, team A goes first, then team B, then team A again.

 

The new system is called 'ABBA' and sees team A followed by team B - before team B goes again. Team A would then get two successive penalties, and so on until there is a winner.

 

A coin will still be tossed to decide who goes first.

 

The idea is to stop the team going second having to always, potentially, play catch-up. The sport's rule-making body, Ifab, approved the trial after looking at research it says proves the team taking the first penalty have an unfair advantage as they win 60% of shootouts.

 

"The hypothesis is that the player taking the second kick in the pair is under greater mental pressure," said Uefa.

 

The system is also being trialled at the women's European Under-17 Championship, which began in the Czech Republic on Tuesday.

 

http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/39798344

[Thinker 887]

That's genuinely a good idea! I can't think of a downside.

[the gunslinger 3,366]

Change for change sake. People justifying a wage.

 

 

[compo 6,937]

if its not broke why fix it

[JFK-1 1,693]

if its not broke why fix it

 

They're saying research proves it is broke.

 

The sport's rule-making body, Ifab, approved the trial after looking at research it says proves the team taking the first penalty have an unfair advantage as they win 60% of shootouts.

[BrahimHemdani 1]

This is an interesting idea which comes into the category of "why did no one think of that before".

 

Note that theoretically (assuming all kicks are scored and it's too complicated to work out otherwise) the slight reduction in pressure only comes off the 2nd and 4th kicker of the the team that loses the toss.

 

Thus the importance of winning the toss is retained but reduced by 40% (2 kicks out of 5).

 

However one wonders about the importance of home advantage and possibly also chosing ends which IIRC is usually a decision taken on security grounds before the match.

 

And what about the massive advantage of playing extra time at home?

 

I wonder what percentage of home teams win in extra time or on penalties?

 

If UEFA truly want to emphasise sporting integrity perhaps they should go back to staging play offs on neutral grounds.

Edited May 7, 2017 by BrahimHemdani

[BrahimHemdani 1]

They're saying research proves it is broke.

 

The research does not prove that taking the first kick is the most significant factor.

[Gribz 826]

The other thing they could do is make both teams take their pens at the same time at either end of the ground. That would be interesting and challenging.

[the gunslinger 3,366]

The pressures only on the second kicker if the first scores

Sometimes being second is better.

 

This is just not needed.

 

 

[JFK-1 1,693]

The research does not prove that taking the first kick is the most significant factor.

 

I'm not saying it does I haven't even seen it they say it does.

 

The sport's rule-making body, Ifab, approved the trial after looking at research it says proves the team taking the first penalty have an unfair advantage as they win 60% of shootouts.