When is a penalty kick awarded?

A penalty kick is awarded when a foul is committed by a defending player inside their own penalty area. This situation occurs when there is an infringement of the Laws of the Game, such as holding, tripping, or pushing an opponent. The penalty kick is a way to penalize the defending team for actions that unfairly prevent an attacking team from having a scoring opportunity, as the foul occurs in a critical area of the field close to the goal.

Options like an injury within the penalty area, the ball going out of play, or a coach challenging a referee's decision do not meet the criteria for awarding a penalty kick. Injuries are typically treated with stoppages in play but do not inherently lead to a penalty kick. Similarly, when the ball goes out of play, it results in a throw-in, corner kick, or goal kick depending on the situation, but it cannot directly result in a penalty kick. Lastly, a coach’s challenge does not exist in soccer as it does in other sports, so it does not impact the awarding of penalty kicks either.