Law 1 – The Pitch
If a defending-team player moves or overturns their own goal and:
· the ball does not enter or touch the goal, play is stopped and:
- if it was accidental, the match is restarted with a dropped ball;- if it was deliberate, the match is restarted with an indirect free kick and the offending player must be cautioned.
· the ball touches but does not enter the goal, play is stopped and:
- if it was accidental, the match is restarted with a dropped ball;- if it was deliberate, the match is restarted with a penalty kick and the offending player must be sent off for denying the opposing team a goal or an obvious goalscoring opportunity.
· the ball enters the goal (wholly passing over the goal line) between the normal position of the goalposts, with or without touching the goal, a goal is allowed and the offending player must be cautioned if it was deliberate.
Law 5 – The Referees
Video Support
The use of video support (VS) is only permitted when the match/competition organisers have fulfilled all the VS protocol and implementation requirements (as set out by FIFA) and received written permission from FIFA. The referees make use of VS when a team’s head coach (or, in the head coach’s absence, another designated team official) challenges a decision in relation to:
· Goal/no goal
· Penalty kick/no penalty kick
· Direct red cards
· Mistaken identity
In addition, VS can be used at the referees’ discretion when there is a disagreement between the two referees regarding an incident in one of the above-mentioned categories. VS can also be used at the referees’ discretion in the following situations:
· If the chronometer malfunctions
· If the chronometer is incorrectly (re)started/stopped by the timekeeper pursuant to the provisions of Laws 6 and 7
· To verify whether a goal has been scored
· To confirm whether the ball entered the goal before the acoustic signal for the end of a period. VS involves one or more replays of the incident. The referees will review the replay footage directly and the referee will make the final decision. The initial decision does not change unless the replay footage shows that a “clear and obvious error” was committed or a “serious missed incident” occurred.
Law 8 – The Start and Restart of Play
Kick-off Procedure
· The referee tosses a coin and the team that wins the toss decides whether to take the kick-off in the first or second period.
· Unless stated otherwise in the competition regulations, the home team chooses which goal to attack in the first period.
· The team that did not take the kick-off in the first period takes the kick-off to start the second period.
Law 12 – Fouls and Misconduct
Direct free kick
A direct free kick is also awarded if a player commits any of the following offences:
· a handball offence that is deliberate and/or involves the hand/arm making the player’s body unnaturally bigger (except for the goalkeeper within their penalty area)
Handling the ball (…)
It is a direct-free-kick offence if a player:
· deliberately touches the ball with their hand/arm, for example moving the hand/arm towards the ball.
· touches the ball with their hand/arm when it has made their body unnaturally bigger. A player is considered to have made their body unnaturally bigger when the position of their hand/arm is not a consequence of, or justifiable by, the player’s body movement for that specific situation. By having their hand/arm in such a position, the player takes a risk of their hand/arm being hit by the ball and being penalised.
The goalkeeper has the same restrictions on handling the ball as any other player outside the penalty area. If the goalkeeper handles the ball inside their penalty area when not permitted to do so, an indirect free kick is awarded but there is no disciplinary sanction. However, if the offence is playing the ball a second time (with or without the hand/arm) after a restart before it touches another player, the goalkeeper must be sanctioned if the offence stops a promising attack or denies an opponent or the opposing team a goal or an obvious goalscoring opportunity.
Indirect free kick
An indirect free kick is awarded if a player: (…)
· scores in the opponents’ goal:
o directly from their hand/arm (including by the goalkeeper), provided that it is accidental and the hand/arm did not make their body unnaturally bigger;o immediately after accidentally touching the ball with their hand/arm, provided that the hand/arm did not make their body unnaturally bigger.
If a player does not score immediately after accidentally touching the ball with their hand/arm, play should be continued, provided that the hand/arm did not make the player’s body unnaturally bigger.
Law 12 – DOGSO
If a defending-team player commits an offence without attempting to play the ball (e.g. holding, pulling, pushing, no possibility to play the ball, etc.) and the number of attacking players is greater than the number of defending players, this must be considered a DOGSO situation, even if the goal is guarded by the goalkeeper.
Practical Guidelines – Advantage
If the offence was denying the opposing team an obvious goalscoring opportunity, the player is cautioned for unsporting behaviour. If the offence was interfering with or stopping a promising attack, the player is not cautioned (see Law 12 – Advantage). However:
· If the offence was a reckless challenge or a holding offence, the offending player must be cautioned (see the section dedicated to Law 12 below).
· If the offence involved the use of excessive force, the offending player must be sent off.
Practical Guidelines – Handling the ball
If a player scores in the opponents’ goal immediately after accidentally touching the ball with their hand/arm, an indirect free kick is awarded to the opponents. However:
· If a goal is not scored and the hand/arm did not make the player’s body unnaturally bigger, play is to be continued.
· If the ball goes off the pitch over the goal line, a goal clearance is awarded to the opponents. If a player scores a goal after a team-mate has accidentally touched the ball with their hand/arm, including immediately thereafter, the goal is awarded.
Source: FIFA
