Regulation Futsal

There are currently two governing bodies Asociación Mundial de Fútbol de Salón (AMF) and Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). AMF and FIFA are responsible for maintaining and promulgating the official rules of their respective versions of futsal.
FIFA publishes its futsal rules as the 'Laws of the Game', in which each of the 17 'laws' is a thematically related collection of individual regulations. The laws define all aspects of the game, including what may be changed to suit local competitions and leagues.

 

Summary of rules

Length of the field	minimum 28x15m, maximum 40x20m.
Free kick	6m from the center of the goal for penalties caused by fouls inside the 6m goal keeper's area, or 10m for cumulative fouls.
Ball	Size 4, circumference 62–64 cm, weight between 400-440g at the start of the game. Dropped from an height of 2m, the first rebound must not be lower than 50 cm or more than 65 cm.
Time	There are two periods of 20 actual minutes or of 30 non actual minutes each. Between the two periods there is a break of 15 minutes.
Number of players	There are five players for each team in the field, one of them as goalkeeper, and a maximum number of 12 players that can be used each match. Changes are flying and unlimited.
Play resumption	Every time the ball goes out of the field, a foul or a goal is perpetrated and the referee whistles to stop the game and to resume it. Every throw-in must be done in 5 seconds that are counted by the referee with his hand up.
Personal fouls	The referee will give a light-blue card to the player that commits 5 fouls in one match. Afterwards he is sent off but can be replaced by a team mate – as it happens for the expulsion for double yellow card, for a direct red card for complaint or for a last man foul. A player that gains a red card for violent conduct, instead, can’t be changed. All the kicks gained from the fouls are direct: so, at every free kick, the referee must always count 3 meters from the ball and the wall and whistle to resume the game.
Cumulative fouls	A team can make five cumulative fouls every period of the match, from the sixth foul on the opponent team gains a free kick. The reporter tells the referee when a team reaches five fouls by pulling out a red flag in the side of the table where the bench of the team that committed five fouls is.
Goalkeeper	In the penalty area the goalkeeper can touch the ball with his hands, while off he can freely play the ball like every other player, with the limit of exclusive play in his team's half field. If he overcomes the midfield and take part of the play, he is sanctioned with both a personal and a cumulative foul. When he’s in possession of the ball, he has 5 seconds to make a goal kick or, after saving an opponent’s shot, to get rid of the ball; if he commits an offence, the referee will stop the play and give a throw-in to the opponent team.
Goalkeeper return	The goalkeeper is not allowed to overcome the midfield when he tosses off the ball with his hands, unless the ball touches the ground before or a player receives it in the team's half field. Otherwise, the goalkeeper is sanctioned with a throw-in in the closest point to the midfield given to the opponent team, but neither with a cumulative or a personal foul.
Kick-in	There is no throw-in when the ball is out of pay. The only available procedure is kick-in. The player must place the ball on the touchline or outside but not more than 25 cm from the place the ball when out of play. The ball must be in stationary position before a kick-in is taken within 4 seconds from the time being ready. During kick-in the opponent player must stand not less than 5 m from the ball; if a time offence or a wrong play resumption is committed, the referee will whistle a resumption change, but no sanction in terms of personal or cumulative fouls. It is not allowed to score directly from a throw-in: the goal is valid only if any player, goalkeeper excluded, touches the ball before it enters in goal.
Corner	The ball must be placed inside the arch nearest to the point where the ball crossed the goal line and the opponent must stand on pitch at least 5 m from the corner arch until the ball is in play. The corner kick must be taken within 4 seconds of being ready if not a goal kick will be awarded. The ball is in play when it is kicked and moves.
Play in the team's own half field	Once the goalkeeper gives away the ball, his team has 15 seconds to overcame the midfield. Otherwise, a throw-in from the closest point to where the foul happened is given to the defending team.
Referees	For international matches, there must be two referees: one (first referee) is positioned in the longer side of the field near the reporter table and communicates with the reporter, while the other (second referee) is in the opposite side of the field. At the reporter table there are a reporter and a timekeeper; moreover, there are also two other bench referees that control the teams’ benches. In minor events, the two bench referees and the timekeeper are not contemplated.

 

Players, equipment and officials

The Brazil national futsal team line up before a match.

There are five players on each team, one of whom is the goalkeeper. The maximum number of substitutes allowed is nine (FIFA change 2012), with unlimited substitutions during the match. Substitutes can come on even when the ball is in play but the player coming off must leave the pitch before the substitute can enter the playing field. If a team has fewer than three players in the team, the match is abandoned and counted as a loss for the team with the lack of players.
The kit is made up of a jersey or shirt with sleeves, shorts, socks, shinguards made out of rubber or plastic, and shoes with rubber soles. The goalkeeper is allowed to wear long trousers and a different coloured kit, to distinguish himself from the other players in the team and the referee. He is also allowed to wear elbow pads because the surface is about as hard as a tennis court or basketball court. Jewellery is not allowed, nor are other items that could be dangerous to the player wearing the item or to other active participants.
The match is controlled by the referee, who enforces the Laws of the Game, and the first referee is the only one who can legally abandon the match because of interference from outside the pitch. This referee is also assisted by a second referee who typically watches over the goal lines or assists the primary referee with calls on fouls or plays. The decisions made by the referees are final and can only be changed if the referees think it is necessary and play has not restarted. There is also a third referee and a timekeeper, who are provided with equipment to keep a record of fouls in the match. In the event of injury to the referee or second referee, the third referee will replace the second referee.

The pitch

A futsal pitch

The pitch is made up of wood or artificial material, or similar surface, although any flat, smooth and non-abrasive material may be used. The length of the pitch is in the range of 38–42 m (42–46 yd), and the width is in the range of 20–25 m (22–27 yd) in international matches. For other matches, it can be 25–42 m (27–46 yd) in length, while the width can be 16–25 m (17–27 yd), as long as the length of the longer boundary lines (touchlines) are greater than the shorter boundaries where the goals are placed (goal lines). The "standard" size court for an international is 40 m × 20 m (44 yd × 22 yd). The ceiling must be at least 4 m (4 yd) high. A rectangular goal is positioned at the middle of each goal line. The inner edges of the vertical goal posts must be 3 m (3.3 yd) apart, and the lower edge of the horizontal crossbar supported by the goal posts must be 2 m (2.2 yd) above the ground. Nets made of hemp, jute or nylon are attached to the back of the goalposts and crossbar. The lower part of the nets is attached to curved tubing or another suitable means of support. The depth of the goal is 80 cm (31 in) at the top and 1 m (3.3 ft) at the bottom.

A futsal arena in Tokyo

In front of each goal is an area known as the penalty area. This area is created by drawing quarter-circles with a 6 m (6.6 yd) radius from the goal line, centred on the goalposts. The upper part of each quarter-circle is then joined by a 3.16 m (3.46 yd) line running parallel to the goal line between the goalposts. The line marking the edge of the penalty area is known as the penalty area line. The penalty area marks where the goalkeeper is allowed to touch the ball with his hands. The penalty mark is six metres from the goal line when it reaches the middle of the goalposts. The second penalty mark is 10 metres (11 yd) from the goal line when it reaches the middle of the goalposts. A penalty kick from the penalty spot is awarded if a player commits a foul inside the penalty area. The second penalty spot is used if a player commits his team's sixth foul in the opposing team's half or in his own half in the area bordered by the halfway line and an imaginary line parallel to the halfway line passing through the second penalty mark; the free kick is taken from the second penalty mark.
Any standard team handball pitch can be used for futsal, including goals and floor markings.

Duration and tie-breaking methods

A standard match consists of two equal periods of 20 minutes. The length of either half is extended to allow penalty kicks to be taken or a direct free kick to be taken against a team that has committed more than five fouls. The interval between the two halves cannot exceed 15 minutes.
In some competitions, the game cannot end in a draw, so away goals, extra time and penalties are the three methods for determining the winner after a match has been drawn. Away goals mean that if the team's score is level after playing one home and one away game, the goals scored in the away match count as double. Extra time consists of two periods of five minutes. If no winner is produced after these methods, five penalties are taken, and the team that has scored the most wins. If it is not decided after five penalties, it continues to go on with one extra penalty to each team at a time until one of them has scored more goals than the other. Unlike extra time, the goals scored in a penalty shoot-out do not count towards the goals scored throughout the match.

The start and restart of play

At the beginning of the match, a coin toss is used to decide who will start the match. A kick-off is used to signal the start of play and is also used at the start of the second half and any periods of extra time. It is also used after a goal has been scored, with the other team starting the play. After a temporary stoppage for any reason not mentioned in the Laws of the Game, the referee will drop the ball where the play was stopped, provided that, prior to the stoppage, the ball was in play and had not crossed either the touch lines or goal lines.
If the ball goes over the goal line or touchline, hits the ceiling, or the play is stopped by the referee, the ball is out of play. If it hits the ceiling of an indoor arena, play is restarted with a kick-in to the opponents of the team that last touched the ball, under the place where it hit the ceiling.

Lack of offside rule

Unlike football, there is no offside rule in futsal. Attackers can get much closer to the goal than they can in the traditional outdoor version of football.

Misconduct

Players are cautioned with a yellow card and sent off with a red card.

A direct free kick can be awarded to the opposing team if a player succeeds or attempts to kick or trip an opponent, jumps, charges or pushes an opponent, or strikes or attempts to strike an opponent. Holding, touching or spitting at an opponent are offenses that are worthy of a direct free kick, as are sliding in to play the ball while an opponent is playing it or carrying, striking or throwing the ball (except the goalkeeper). These are all accumulated fouls. The direct free kick is taken where the infringement occurred, unless it is awarded to the defending team in their penalty area, in which case the free kick may be taken from anywhere inside the penalty area. A penalty kick is awarded if a player commits one of the fouls that are worthy of a direct free kick inside his own penalty area. The position of the ball does not matter as long as it is in play but for a penalty kick, the ball must be on the outer line, perpendicular to the centre of the net.
An indirect free kick is awarded to the opposing team if a goalkeeper clears the ball but then touches it with his hands before anyone else, if he controls the ball with his hands when it has been kicked to him by a teammate, or if he touches or controls the ball with his hands or feet in his own half for more than four seconds. An indirect free kick is also awarded to the opposing team if a player plays in a dangerous manner, deliberately obstructs an opponent, prevents the goalkeeper from throwing the ball with his hands or anything else for which play is stopped to caution or dismiss a player. The indirect free kick is taken from the place where the infringement occurred.
Yellow and red cards are both used in futsal. The yellow card is to caution players over their actions, and, if they get two, they are given a red card, which means they are sent off the field. A yellow card is shown if a player shows unsporting behaviour, dissent, persistent infringement of the Laws of the Game, delaying the restart of play, failing to respect the distance of the player from the ball when play is being restarted, infringement of substitution procedure or entering, re-entering and leaving the pitch without the referee's permission. A player is shown the red card and sent off if they engage in serious foul play, violent conduct, spitting at another person, or denying the opposing team a goal by handling the ball (except the goalkeeper inside his penalty area). Also punishable with a red card is denying an opponent moving towards the player's goal a goalscoring opportunity by committing an offence punishable by a free kick or a penalty kick and using offensive, insulting or abusive language or gestures. A player who has been sent off must leave the vicinity of the pitch. A substitute player is permitted to come on two minutes after a teammate has been sent off, unless a goal is scored before the end of the two minutes. If a team with more players scores against a team with fewer players, another player can be added to the team with an inferior number of players. If the teams are equal when the goal is scored or if the team with fewer players scores, both teams remain with the same number of players.