When football turned to penalties to end 'cruel' system

Sport InsightWhen football turned to penalties to end 'cruel' systemPublished28 March 2026Image source, Hull CityByPhil Jones, BBC Sporting Witness and Sonia Oxley, BBC SportMartyn Kelly remembers wishing he had a stool to climb on like the rest of the kids in the ground to get a better view.The world's first official penalty shootout was not something he wanted obscured by other people's heads.On a warm evening on 5 August 1970 at Boothferry Park in Hull, a star-studded Manchester United reached the end of extra time level at 1-1 with second-tier Hull City in a cup match.Six weeks earlier, football's lawmakers had decided to end the days of the coin toss to decide winners in favour of five players from each team taking a kick from 11 yards out with just the keeper to beat."Blimey," thought then 11-year-old Hull City fan Kelly. "It's George Best, one of the greatest players ever. He's going to take the first penalty in the world's first penalty shootout."That was something worth watching.No-one knew yet that this new method of deciding a tied football match would become a nerve-shredding experience some fans, players and managers can barely watch.First official penalty shootoutAttributionSoundsImage source, Hull CityImage caption, The Watney Cup was a pre-season competition from 1970 to 1973 that featured the highest scoring teams from the top four divisions (with some exceptions)Before this, cup or knockout matches that ended in draws were settled by replays, by drawing lots or tossing coins.At the 1968 European Championship, Italy went through to the final after a correct heads-or-tails guess following a 0-0 draw against the Soviet Union. The final against Yugoslavia then ended 1-1 and Italy eventually won 2-0 two days later when the sides reconvened for a replay. For those who were not fans of the existing ways to break a deadlock, the final straw came four months later.When Israel's captain pulled...