ABBA penalties: What is the Carabao Cup penalty shoot-out system and is it used in the Football League play-offs or the FA Cup?
The EFL have announced that ABBA penalties will be trialled in their competitions
A NEW penalty shootout system has been trialled in all EFL competitions this season.
Known as 'ABBA', it was used for the first time at the Under-17 European Championships in the summer.
What is the ABBA penalty shootout?
Uefa and Fifa are examining a new ABBA system, as an alternative to the current ABAB.
That basically means the order of penalties taken in a shootout will be similar to the serve in a tennis tie-break.
So, rather than one team taking first and the other following, the idea is that one team takes a penalty, followed by the opposition taking two penalties.
Each team then alternates in taking two penalties until a result is achieved.
The idea behind the change is to take away the unfair disadvantage the team that takes the second penalty supposedly has when they have to kick to stay in the game.
If the system currently being trialled was introduced, teams would alternate in taking second and the pressure would be shared equally.
A coin would still be tossed to decide who goes first.
Uefa said: "The hypothesis is that the player taking the second kick in the pair is under greater mental pressure."
The move comes after football's rule-making body, Ifab, looked at research suggesting 60 per cent of penalty shootouts were won by the team kicking first.
Which competitions will the system be used in this season?
The EFL have announced that ABBA penalties will be trialled across all its competitions.
That means that the League Cup - this season known as the Carabao Cup - and Checkatrade Trophy will both be using the system.
And ABBA penalties could also decide which teams get promoted as they will be used in the EFL playoffs.
The Community Shield tie between Arsenal and Chelsea was won by the Gunners on the new ABBA-style pens.
Will the FA Cup use ABBA penalties?
The FA do not use ABBA penalties, and still use the traditional ABAB system.
