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The official “Laws of the Game” is a 117-page document full legalese and technical mambo jumbo. If you’re new to the beautiful game, here are the basics you have to know:
Soccer is a game played between two teams, with two 45-minute halves and one ball. The object is to simply score more goals than your opponent. You can use any part of your body to score except your hands. But you must use your hands to throw the ball in if it leaves the sides of the field. One player on each team is allowed to wear a different coloured jersey and use their hands to pick up the ball in their designated area.
You are allowed 5 substitutions per game, but once a player has been subbed off, they cannot come back on. The Referee’s decisions are final, and that includes the decision to add a few extra minutes to the end of a half, to let the play continue after a foul, and even to ignore the Assistant Referees. A yellow card is a warning, and a red card means “you’re out of the game” and your team can’t replace you.
Soccer is a contact sport, but pulling, shoving, groping, punching, headbutting, and kicking your opponent are strictly forbidden. A little bit of dramatic yelling and embellishing injuries is part of the game.
Let's start by looking at the first 10 laws.
Law 1: Field of Play: The field should be rectangular, between 110-120 yard (100-110 metres long) and 70-80 yards (64-75 metres) wide. Goals are placed on each end, which are 8 yards wide and 8 feet tall, and a penalty area that’s 18 yards around the posts.
Law 2: The Ball: The ball should be spherical, made of leather or similar material. It should have a circumference of between 68-70 centimeters and a weight of between 410-450 grams at the start of the match.
Law 3: Number of Players: Each team should have 11 players, including one goalkeeper. If a team is reduced to fewer than seven players, the match is abandoned.
Law 4: Players' Equipment: Players must wear a jersey or shirt, shorts, socks, shin guards, and footwear. All jewellery is strictly forbidden and must be removed.
Law 5: The Referee: The referee enforces the Laws of the Game, makes decisions regarding fouls, free kicks, throw-ins, etc., and has the power to show yellow or red cards to players, substitutes, or substituted players. The Referee’s decisions are final (unless the Referee decides to change them).
Law 6: Other Match Officials: Other officials, including two Assistant Referees (“linesmen”), a fourth official, and a Virtual Assistant Referee (VAR), assist the referee in enforcing the rules.The Assistant Referees run around the sides of the field and point out when the ball has gone out. The fourth official holds up signs that say who is being substituted and how much time is being added on. The VAR whispers in the Referee’s ear that a “clear and obvious error” may have been made regarding a goal-scoring or excessively violent incident.
Law 7: Duration of the Match: The match lasts two equal periods of 45 minutes, except when the Referee unilaterally decides to add additional time at the end of a half to make up for timewasting during the game. There's a 15-minute halftime break. Games can end in a draw (tie). In knockout games, there may be an extra 30 minutes of “Extra Time”, followed by a penalty kick.
Law 8: Start and Restart of Play: Games start and restart with a kickoff at the center of the field, following a goal, or at the start of the second half. If play was interrupted for some other reason, play is restarted with a drop ball.
Law 9: Ball In and Out of Play: The ball is out of play when it has wholly passed over the lines, whether on the ground or in the air, or when play has been stopped by the referee. It is irrelevant whether a player was in contact with the ball as it crosses the line.
Law 10: Determining the Outcome of a Match: The team that scores the most goals during the match is the winner. If both teams score the same number of goals, or if no goals are scored, the match is a draw.
