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.