FIFA lends goalies a hand with new penalty kick rule

No more penalty kick tomfoolery at the World Cup ... and beyond.

FIFA has put its foot down on players who pause the moment before taking a penalty kick in an effort to deceive the goalkeeper. A new rule change -- implemented by the International Football Association Board -- will go into effect June 1 that gives the offending player a yellow card for "unsporting behavior."

"Feinting in the run-up to take a penalty kick to confuse opponents is permitted, however feinting to kick the ball once the player has completed his run-up is now considered an infringement ... and an act of unsporting behaviour for which the player must be cautioned," the rule says.

In other words, players can dance around all the want during the run-up (A Cristiano Ronaldo favorite), but once that foot is planted and a player is ready to strike ... he better follow through.

FIFA, I'm told, also frowns upon this ...