Are football players predictable?

This paper deals with the question, whether football players choose optimal strategies in penalty kicks. On the data from the Czech Gambrinus league in the years 2006 - 10 I test whether players act in accordance with mixed-strategy Nash equilibrium. I predict probabilities of single actions and expected pay-offs for 3x3 and 2x2 games. For comparing results I use the methods of absolute differences, squared differences (Azar, Bar-Eli, 2009) and difference between expected pay-off and average scoring probability. I also test data by hypotheses from minimax theory, which was used by Chiappori, Levitt and Groseclose in 2002. The final probabilities of single actions are not close to predictions, but values of differences are close to those expected. From 5 hypotheses I confirm 3 and I reject 2. Hence I conclude that players did not behave according to minimax