Irishman put football on spot with penalties

As the World Cup gets into full swing, Robert Hume throws a spotlight on the Irishman who in 1890 invented the penalty kick — soccer’s most famous rule

A CENTURY and a quarter later, penalties continue to add great excitement to the game, and the field where the penalty kick was invented has been preserved with the aid of a grant from the EU.

In the 2010 World Cup in South Africa a total of 15 penalty kicks were awarded, nine of which scored. What awaits us in Brazil?