THERE was a lot of fuss at the women’s World Cup about goalkeepers moving off their goal line at penalty kicks.

There were two major complaints.

One was that the new law had been introduced into the World Cup without any warning.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

The law has been in the making over the last 20 years after the USA beat China in the Women’s’ World Cup Final.

At the kicks from the penalty mark to decide the winners, the American goalkeeper, Briana Scurry saved the final kick, coming well off her line without being penalised.

Since then discussions have been held with coaches and others around the world and it was felt that as the goalkeeper has to stand with both feet on the goal line until the kick was taken, this made the penalty kick uneven in the kicker's favour.

The outcome of all these deliberations led the International FA Board, to propose that the goalkeeper should be allowed to move one foot forward without penalty, providing the other foot remained level with the goal line. Not necessarily on it, but level with it.

Well before the Women’s World Cup, FIFA called together the coaches of the 24 nations taking part together and told them of the IFAB proposal before it had been agreed.

They were then told again before the beginning of the tournament that it had come into force.

In fact, of the nine penalties, only three breached the law.

The other complaint was that the kick was checked by VAR and that the defaulting goalkeepers were only a short distance off their line.

As Pierluigi Collina, chairman of the FIFAs referees committee said, their being over the line was a fact and not a matter of opinion and that is what VAR is for, to check the facts.

Incidentally, the Premier League, which introduced VAR this season, said they would not use it at penalty kicks to check the goalkeeper’s movement.

However, I’m sure pressure was brought to bear, for they have already used it in this way.