Summary of 2010 Changes to Futsal Laws of the Game

This is a must read for all Futsal players and Coaches!

Capital Football advise the following:
Summary of 2010 Changes to Futsal Laws of the Game

This document is aimed at providing a quick reference guide for players, coaches, team officials and venue managers with regard to the changes made to the FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game – 2010, based on the 2008.
Many of the changes bring some of the philosophy of football to futsal. This should enable football players to more easily adapt when moving to futsal. This document was created by NSW Futsal Referees Association (Scott Kidson) and endorsed by the Futsal National Coach, Geoff McGuiness.

MAJOR CHANGES

1. The match is now allowed to start when both teams have three or more players

LAW 3 - THE NUMBER OF PLAYERS
Players
A match may not start if either team consists of fewer than three players.

To have the Futsal Laws of the Game consistent with those of football a match can be started with the minimum number of players required to continue a match. Should a team have less than three fit players at any time during the match, the match is abandoned.

2. The sliding tackle has been made legal

This means that a sliding tackle is assessed in the same way as any other challenge. If a sliding tackle is careless, reckless, or carried out with excessive force, it is a direct free kick (and disciplinary sanction where appropriate). Any tackle that endangers the safety of an opponent should be sanctioned as serious foul play.

It is always good to remind players that "getting the ball" alone is not enough for a tackle (any type of tackle) to be considered safe. The referee is obliged to assess if the way in which the tackle was carried out, including actions that follow contact with the ball. If an on-ball tackle is followed up with the player continuing on through the opponent, the referee can consider the challenge to be careless, reckless or excessively forceful.

3. The ball crossing half-way does not allow the goalkeeper to touch it again now

LAW 12 - FOULS AND MISCONDUCT
Fouls penalised with an indirect free kick
An indirect free kick is awarded to the opposing team if a goalkeeper commits any of the following four offences:
• controls the ball with his hands or feet in his own half of the pitch for more than four seconds
• touches the ball again in his own half of the pitch after it has been deliberately kicked to him by a team-mate without an opponent playing or touching it
• touches the ball with his hands inside his own penalty area after it has been deliberately kicked to him by a team-mate
• touches the ball with his hands inside his own penalty area after he has received it directly from a kick-in taken by a team-mate

LAW 16 - THE GOAL CLEARANCE
Infringements and sanctions
If the ball is in play and the goalkeeper touches the ball again (except with his hands) before it has touched an opponent (except if it has accidentally touched another player in his team):
• an indirect free kick is awarded to the opposing team, to be taken from the place where the infringement occurred (see Law 13 - Position of free kick)

The goalkeeper cannot receive the ball back in his own half, in general play or after a goal clearance, unless it has touched an opponent. It is allowed for the goalkeeper to receive the ball deliberately in the opponent’s half before it has been touched by an opposing player.

MODERATE CHANGES

4. A goal can be scored with the last kick of the match – after time has expired.

LAW 7 - THE DURATION OF THE MATCH
Ending the periods of play
The timekeeper indicates the end of each period with the acoustic signal or whistle. After hearing the timekeeper's whistle or acoustic signal, one of the referees announces the end of the period or match with his whistle, bearing in mind the following:
If the ball has been kicked towards one of the goals, the referees must wait for the kick to end before the timekeeper may sound the whistle or acoustic signal. The period ends when:
• the ball goes directly into the goal and a goal is scored
• the ball leaves the boundaries of the pitch
• the ball touches the goalkeeper, the goalposts, crossbar or ground, crosses the goal line and a goal is scored
• the ball touches any player other than the goalkeeper after it has been kicked at the opposing goal and no infringement has been committed that requires a direct free kick or a penalty kick to be retaken or, during the trajectory of the ball, one of the teams does not commit an infringement that is sanctioned with a direct free kick, beginning with the sixth accumulated foul, or a penalty kick
• the defending goalkeeper stops the ball or it rebounds from the goalposts or crossbar and does not cross the goal line

This change works like basketball. The match doesn’t end until the final kick released before time expires has a result. The ball can go in off the goalkeeper or posts, however if ANY other player touches it after time has expired, that is the end of the match and any goal scored is disallowed.

5. Encroachment at free kicks is a caution

LAW 13 - FREE KICKS
Infringements and sanctions
If, when a free kick is taken, an opponent is closer to the ball than the required distance:
• the kick is retaken and the offending player is cautioned, unless the advantage can be applied or another infringement is committed that is punishable by a penalty kick. If the infringement is punishable by a free kick, the referees decide whether to punish the original infringement or the one committed subsequently. If the second infringement is punishable by a penalty kick or direct free kick, an accumulated foul is recorded against the offending team

Make sure you keep your distance at a free kick. Coming inside the five metres early will earn you a caution.

MINOR CHANGES

6. If the identified kicker doesn’t take the penalty, it’s a caution and free kick to the other team

LAW 13 - FREE KICKS
Infringements and sanctions
Beginning with the sixth accumulated foul, if a free kick is taken by a team-mate of the player who had been identified previously:
• the referees stop play, caution him for unsporting behaviour and restart the match with an indirect free kick to the defending team to be taken from where he kicked the ball

LAW 14 - THE PENALTY KICK
Infringements and sanctions
If, while a penalty kick is being taken, the ball is kicked by a team-mate of the player who had been previously identified:
• the referees stop play, caution him for unsporting behaviour and order the match to be restarted with an indirect free kick to the defending team, to be taken from the penalty mark (see Law 13 - Position of free kick)

When the referee asks who is taking a penalty or direct free kick with no wall, that player must be the one to step up and hit the ball. If anyone else comes forward and takes the shot, an indirect free-kick to the opposition team is awarded and the player who kicks the ball is cautioned.

7. If a team needs to exclude a player at penalty shoot outs, it can be the active goalkeeper

PROCEDURES TO DETERMINE THE WINNER OF A MATCH OR HOME-AND-AWAY
Kicks from the penalty mark
Procedure
• If a team must reduce its numbers to equate with that of its opponents, it may exclude the goalkeepers as players eligible to take the penalty kicks

Where kicks from the penalty mark are required both teams have to have an equal number of kickers. If they aren’t equal, the team with more players must exclude one or more players. That’s always been the case. The new bit is that when this happens now, the goalkeeper of a side who must reduce their numbers may be excluded from taking a kick, however may still act as the goalkeeper. The goalkeeper can ONLY be excluded when the team must reduce their number of eligible kickers otherwise he has to take a kick when his time comes.

8. If a player is sent off at a break in play, the team starts the next period a man down

INTERPRETATION OF THE FUTSAL LAWS OF THE GAME AND GUIDELINES FOR REFEREES

LAW 3 - THE NUMBER OF PLAYERS
Players sent off
• if, during the interval or before the start of one of the periods of extra time, a player commits a sending-off offence, his team starts the next half or period of extra time with one player fewer

When a player is sent off between any two periods of play, their team shall be reduced by a player on the pitch when the match restarts. If the person sent off was a substitute at the time, there is no reduction. Those who were on the pitch when the end of the period was signalled are considered to be players until the next period of play starts.

9. Stopping at the end of your run up at a penalty is not allowed

LAW 14 - THE PENALTY KICK
Procedure
• Feinting in the run-up to take a penalty kick to confuse opponents is permitted as part of football. However, feinting to kick the ball once the player has completed his run-up is considered an infringement of Law 14 and an act of unsporting behaviour for which the player must be cautioned. It is now required to caution a player who feints to kick the ball at the end of his run up, but does not. In this instance the kick is retaken as the ball was not in play when the infringement occurred.

So that’s the list of changes that will affect the way the game is played. Should you require further clarification on the Laws of the Game, be it about these changes or anything else in the Futsal Laws of the Game, feel free to send an e-mail to fifafutsal@yahoo.com.au