On the spot

Is it time we looked again at the penalty kick? Watched a couple of Cup matches on telly yesterday, and the amount of foul play that goes on in penalty areas is amazing - stuff which, if it took place anywhere else on the field, would without doubt draw a free kick. The problem is it's what you might call low-level foul play (pushing, shirt-tugging, arm-holding etc) and the referee either has to ignore it, or award a penalty which most people would consider to be out of all proportion to the offence. So most often, it's ignored - but the fact is, it's still foul play. What is needed is some way of punishing such transgressions without having to resort to the draconian measure of the penalty kick.