World Football Round Table: "Do You Prefer Golden Goals or Penalties, and Why?"

After a deserved break, The World Football Round Table Discussions return. In our fifth edition, we asked several of our top writers :

"Which system do you prefer—golden goal or penalties, and why?"

Below is their take on the matter.

• Khalid Shakran - In favour of penalties

The golden goal system has destroyed many matches in past tournaments. The golden goal system encourages negative football, as teams are too afraid of conceding, and the sudden end to a football match can also create safety and security problems. The teams become increasingly cautious in the golden goal system.

That being said, penalties are definitely my choice.

For both squads and teams, extra-time used to be a time of nerve-racking pressure. In the supposedly "penalty" system now, players and fans acknowledge that if their team falls behind by a goal during the second half of extra time, they still have a chance to equalize and possibly win in miraculous fashion.

• Kiran Gokarn - In favour of penalties

Personally, I prefer the system of penalties. The game reaches its flash point in the penalty shootout and the tension is heartbreaking for some.

The system of the golden goal means that even if the team playing badly gets a lucky goal, they go through. Extra time gives the better team more time to get the right result.

Besides, the excitement of penalty shootout has no substitute.

• Chris Potter - In favour of penalties

I think that the fairest way to decide a close football game is a penalty shootout. We often forget that football is a sport, and that a primary aim of any sport is to provide entertainment and drama.

A golden goal is a much more cruel and unjust deciding factor as goals can be fortunate, undeserved, or controversial. However, during a penalty shootout, each side has a minimum of five opportunities with which to gain an advantage and ultimately win a match.

There is more skill involved and poise required, to add to the obvious resulting drama.

Penalties 3 - 0 Golden Goals, just like Spain vs Russia.

• Shyam - In favour of penalties

I prefer the penalty shootouts because they seem to give a much more equal opportunity to teams once a game ends as a draw. The problem with the golden goal system is that the game ends the moment one of the teams scores a goal in the extra-time period. Somehow, that doesn't appeal to me.

• Tahira Adams - In favour of penalties

When it comes down to deciding a game, I would have to choose penalties over the golden goal.

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