Often regarded as the biggest referee in football history, Pierluigi Collina has called for a big change in the rules and regulations guiding penalty in the sport.
Collina, one of the most recognisable officials in the game’s history believes penalty takers should be banned from scoring a rebound with the Italian keen for football’s Lawmakers to make a change to how spot kicks work.
He reckons goalkeepers must kick up a bigger fuss about the current rules because they are so swayed in favour of the attacking team.
Pierluigi Collina, Chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee (Photo by Pakawich Damrongkiattisak – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
“I believe there is an excessive gap between the opportunities available to the attacker and those of the goalkeeper,” Collina told Repubblica. “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.
“I’ve already mentioned this in discussions we’ve had at IFAB. 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. This would also eliminate the spectacle we see before a penalty is taken, with everyone crowding around the area. It looks like horses at the starting gates before the Palio di Siena.”
Currently 64-years-old, Collina refereed the 2002 World Cup final along with a host of major European ties. In 2004 Hull University gave him an honorary doctorate “for his contribution to the world of sport.”
