A Necessary Evil?

Since it was introduced more than 50 years ago, the penalty shootout has been one of soccer’s biggest spectacles. It can turn no-name players into heroes, and make the world’s greatest players feel the game’s lowest lows. However, people still wonder if these shootouts are truly the fairest way to decide a match. Some fans say there are no better alternatives, while others see shootouts as reducing a 120-minute battle to a lottery.

The modern penalty shootout was introduced by FIFA in 1970 to replace older tiebreaker systems that used coin tosses and replayed matches. Fans and teams needed timely, definitive results, instead of costly third legs played at neutral venues. Michael Almog, an executive for the Israel Football Association, invented the idea of penalties, calling the drawing of lots “immoral and cruel.”

The inventors and initial supporters of the shootout had no idea the cultural phenomenon that it would become. Yet, critics argue the shootout doesn’t reflect what actually happened in the game. In the world’s most important matches, sometimes, it just comes down to a single penalty kick. The 2022 World Cup Final, for example, which was voted as one of the greatest soccer matches of all time, was settled via shootout.

"It’s entertaining and nerve-wracking, but it doesn't feel like true soccer to me," said a Manchester United fan in Arizona. He echoed the sentiment of many others who feel like there might be a better way to decide a match.

But after 120 minutes, what are the other options?

Over the years, FIFA has experimented with alternatives to the shootout. The “golden goal” was introduced in the 1990s and awarded instant victory for a goal in extra time. However, it led to teams becoming too cautious, scared of conceding that “golden” goal. Thus, it was abolished in 2004. In 2018, FIFA tested the “ABBA order” for penalty shootouts, which was designed to reduce the advantage the first team has in penalty shootouts. It never caught on, but FIFA is always on the hunt for ways to shake up the game.

The debate still rages on. Penalty shootouts have people glued to the TV all across the world. They are undoubtedly gripping television, but are they fair? Sometimes, you lose by a bounce of the ball, and there’s nothing you can do about it. That is the magic of the shootout. Or is it? Teams lose on “flukey” goals all the time during the 90 (or 120) minutes. Penalties might just be the perfect natural conclusion to a game!

Laurent Blanc scores the first golden goal in the FIFA World Cup on June 28, 1998 for France (Photo / FIFA)