Brief rules of football: goals, offsides, penalties, cards. The essence of the game, violations, the role of referees. Everything a beginner needs to know to understand the most popular game.
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Football is not just a chaotic chase after the ball. It’s passion, tactics, and a clear set of rules that make the game fair, entertaining, and understandable to millions. If you are just starting to get acquainted with this sport, this guide will help you understand its basics.
The essence of the game and the main goal
The goal of football is simple: score more goals than the opposing team. A goal is scored when the entire volume of the ball crosses the goal line between the posts and under the crossbar.
The match lasts for two halves of 45 minutes each with a 15-minute break. The Chief Referee may add extra time (compensate) at the end of each half for substitutions, prolonged injury treatment, and other stoppages.
Interesting fact! Initially, the soccer goal was just two vertical posts without a bar. A goal was scored at any height. The crossbar was introduced only in 1875.
The participants of the match and their roles
- The players: There are 11 players from each team on the field at the same time, one of whom is the goalkeeper.
- Goalkeeper: The only player who can touch the ball with his hands within his own penalty area. He must wear a uniform that differs in color from the field players and referees.
- Substitutions: In most competitions, up to five substitutions per match are allowed.
The playing field and its key areas
The field has a rectangular shape with a grass or synthetic surface. Its key elements are:
Sidelines and goal lines: Define the boundaries of the field.
Center of the field: Marked with a circle where the game begins and resumes after a goal is scored.
Penalty area: The most important area at the gate. In it, the goalkeeper is allowed to play with his hands. Violation of the rules by the defending team in their own penalty area is punishable by a penalty kick (11-meter kick).
Gate: The standard size is 7.32 meters wide and 2.44 meters high.
Starting and resuming the game
- Draw: Before the match, the referee flips a coin. The winning team chooses the goal or the right to start the game.
- Kickoff: Executed from the center of the field. All players of the opposing team must be outside the central circle.
- Disputed ball: If the game is stopped for a neutral reason (for example, a player’s injury), the ball is brought into play through a “disputed ball” — the referee drops the ball between two players.
Basic rules and violations
The main principle is to play the ball with your feet, head, body, but not with your hands (the exception is the goalkeeper).
Violations punishable by a free kick:
- A punch or an attempt to hit an opponent.
- A trip up or a dangerous game.
- Hand play (touching the ball with your hand or hand from shoulder to fingertips).
- The opponent’s delay.
- The opponent’s push.
The referee shows a yellow card (warning) or a red card (removal from the field) for these violations for particularly serious violations or a second yellow card in the same game.
Interesting fact! The red and yellow cards are an idea from the traffic regulations. Referee Ken Aston came up with them after the 1966 World Cup, where there were misunderstandings with the players due to the language barrier. The idea came to his mind when he stopped at a traffic light. The cards were first used at the 1970 World Cup.
Offside position
This is one of the most difficult rules to understand. A player is offside if he is closer to the opponent’s goal line than the ball and the penultimate player of the opponent (usually the last field player is the goalkeeper), at the moment when the partner passes the ball to him.
Important! An offside position is not recorded if the player:
– In his own half of the field.
– Receives the ball immediately after a throw-in, a corner kick or a goal kick.
– Is on the same line with the second last player of the opponent.
Standard provisions
- Free kick: Awarded for violating the rules. It can be direct (you can score a goal directly) and indirect (a goal is counted only after touching another player).
- Penalty kick (11-meter kick): Awarded for a violation committed by the defending team in their own penalty area.
- Throwing in outs: When the ball completely crosses the sideline, it is thrown with his hands from behind his head from the place where he went out. At the same time, do not lift your heels off the ground.
- Goal kick: It is awarded when the ball that last touched the attacking team completely crosses the goal line. It is performed by a goalkeeper or a fielder from the penalty area.
- Corner kick: Awarded when the ball that last touched the defending team completely crosses the goal line. It is executed from the corner sector by the attacking team.
The role of the refereeing team
- Head referee: Has complete authority on the field. His decisions on game situations are final.
- Assistant referees (linesmen): Monitor offside situations and assist the head referee by signaling with a flag when the ball goes out of bounds or when fouls are committed.
- Video assistant referee (VAR): Used in modern soccer to review key incidents: goals, penalties, red cards, and mistakes in awarding penalties.
Brief rules of football
Conclusion
These basic rules are enough to start watching and understanding soccer, feeling its strategy and passion. The game is constantly evolving, but its spirit and simplicity of the main goal remain unchanged: to score a goal at any cost within the established rules.
If your goal is to learn all the technical nuances, we recommend referring to the complete and official rules of soccer from the International Football Association Board (IFAB): https://russian-sports.ru/en/rules-of-soccer.html
