The German Football Association (DFB) has sparked a debate after ruling that Bayern Munich's Jerome Boateng will not have to serve a full ban despite Schalke failing to convert the penalty that followed his foul.
Boateng was sent off for a professional foul on Sidney Sam in the penalty area after 17 minutes of the 1-1 draw with Schalke earlier this month, but Eric Maxim Choupo-Mouting saw his spot kick saved by Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.
DFB rules stipulate that a player should receive a minimum ban of two games for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity but, according to rules dating back over a decade, that is reduced by one match if the opposing team scores from the penalty -- or free kick -- that resulted from the foul.
In Boateng's case, he had been given a two-match ban for the foul on Sam and an additional game for previous offences, having served a suspension at the start of the season as a result of the fourth red card of his Bundesliga career.
That meant the Germany international was due to miss three games but, following a Bayern appeal, the DFB's Federal Court has reduced the suspension by one game.
The court said the decision had been made because previous bans are no longer taken into consideration for players committing such "professional fouls." That was decided last year, but Boateng is the first player to benefit.
The court ruled that, although violent challenges may still be punished with longer bans, in normal circumstances players can expect to only serve a maximum two-match ban for denying goal-scoring opportunities, regardless of whether they have previously served suspensions.
In Boateng's case, the ban would have been cut to one match had Schalke scored the penalty.
Judge Hans E. Lorenz said on the DFB website: "The fact that Manuel Neuer saved the penalty should not lead to a 200 percent increase of the ban to three games."
While Boateng's case does not represent a change in the specific rule that sees suspensions reduced when set-pieces are converted, the matter has led to a discussion of its logic.
The tabloid Bild interviewed a number of goalkeepers at Bundesliga clubs about the issue and found that there was a widespread feeling that the rule is not logical.
"I hope that this very prominent case leads to the rule being changed as soon as possible," Bayern keeper Neuer said.
Borussia Monchengladbach's Yann Sommer noted that "it would indeed make sense to concede" from the set-piece if the outcome of the game is already clear, while Leverkusen shot stopper Bernd Leno said: "I don't think it's right when the length of the ban is depended on whether a penalty is saved or not."
His Eintracht Frankfurt counterpart Kevin Trapp, meanwhile, asked: "Should we just not save penalties from now on?"
On Thursday, kicker said the confusion had been sparked on the basis of a false pretence.
Kicker-Kommentar zur Notbremsen-Diskussion. pic.twitter.com/sqynAbLyEs
- dembowski (@uersfeld) February 12, 2015
The football weekly said the original rule clearly stated that players should be banned for two games for a professional foul, with this ban including "the denial of a goal on the basis of a clear-cut opportunity." The editorial said the DFB had amended the rule to "the attempted denial of a goal on the basis of a clear-cut opportunity," which allowed for a one-game ban.
Beyond Germany, the issue of "triple punishments" for professional fouls -- whereby a player concedes a penalty, is sent off and has to serve a suspension -- became a major topic last year, with UEFA president Michel Platini calling it "stupid."