1. Historical background Futsal Futsal has its origins in the South American countries of Uruguay and Brazil where, in the 1930 s, two versions of small sided football were being played in the cities of Montevideo and Sao Paulo respectively. The sport began to spread from the South American continent and with its growing popularity came the need for a governing body and a World Championships. The International Federation for Futebol de Sala, FIFUSA, was officially founded in Brazil in 1971. The game continued to grow under FIFUSA with even more countries participating in the second world championships that took place in 1985, this time hosted in Madrid. World Cup The FIFA Futsal World Cup is the international championship for futsal, the indoor version of association football organized by FIFA. The world championship tournament is held every four years, on the even year between two football World Cups. The first event was held in 1989, the year FIFA became the world governing body of futsal. It was held in the Netherlands to commemorate the popularity of the game there. Up until the 2016 World Cup, only two countries have taken the Futsal World Cup: Brazil winning five, and Spain winning two. In 2008 Brazil became the first host country to win the Championship beating Spain in a penalty shootout. Brazil also won the 2012 competition, defeating Spain. Argentina wins its first World Cup in Colombia in 2016. 2. Rules and laws Number of Players Minimum Number of Players to Start Match: 5, one of whom shall be a goalkeeper Minimum Number of Players to Finish Match: 3 Duration of the Game Duration: Two equal periods of 20 minutes; clock stopped whenever ball is out of play. Time can be prolonged only to take a penalty kick. Time-outs: 1 per team per half; none in extra time Half-time: Maximum of 15 minutes Free Kick Types: Direct free kicks and indirect free kicks Wall: At least 5 meters away until the ball is in play Ball in Play: The ball is in play when it is kicked and moves. Time Limit: Kick must be taken within 4 seconds Restriction: Kicker cannot touch the ball again until it has been touched by another player
Fouls and Misconduct Direct free kick awarded when a player intentionally commits any of the following 11 offenses (penalty kick awarded when infringement takes place in penalty area) kicking or attempting to kick an opponent tripping an opponent jumping at an opponent charging an opponent in a violent or dangerous manner charging an opponent from behind striking, attempting to strike, or spitting at an opponent holding an opponent pushing an opponent charging an opponent with shoulder (i.e., shoulder charge) sliding at an opponent (i.e., sliding tackle) handling the ball (except goalkeeper) Indirect free kick awarded when any of the following 8 offenses is committed (kick taken from the 6-meter line when infringement takes place in penalty area): dangerous play (e.g. attempting to kick ball held by goalkeeper) obstruction charging the goalkeeper in the penalty area (i.e., goalkeeper charge) goalkeeper throws ball directly over the halfway-line (without it first touching his own side of the pitch or any player) goalkeeper picks up or touches with his hands a back pass goalkeeper picks up or touches with his hands a kick-in from a teammate goalkeeper controls the ball with any part of his body for more than 4 seconds goalkeeper touches with any part of his body a back pass that has been played back to him before the ball has (1) crossed the halfway-line or (2) been touched by an opponent Players shall be cautioned (i.e., shown yellow card) Players shall be sent off (i.e., shown the red card) Rules of Expulsion: The player sent off (shown a red card) is out for the rest of the game and is not even permitted to sit on the reserves' bench. The team of the player sent off can substitute for that player after 2 minutes of playing time or after the opposing team scores -- which ever comes first. The 2-minute punishment shall be checked by the timekeeper (or by the assistant referee, if there is no timekeeper). The substitute cannot come on until the ball is out of play and he has a referee's consent. Kick-in To be taken in place of the throw-in. The ball is placed on the touch line before kicking. The kicker's foot not kicking the ball must be outside or at least on the touchline; if it crosses the touchline all of the way, into the pitch, the kick-in is given to the opposing team.
The kick-in must be taken within 4 seconds; if it is not, the kick-in is given to the opposing team. The kicker cannot play the ball a second time until it has been played by another player; infringement of this rule entail an indirect free kick to the opposing from the point of infringement. Players on opposing team must be at least 5 m away from point of kick-in. Cannot score directly from a kick-in. Unlimited substitutions A match is played by two teams, each consisting of not more than five players (a goalkeeper and four outfield players) and nine substitutes. There is no restriction on the number of substitutions that may be made during a match. Substitutions may be made at any time, whether the ball is in play or not, but only in the specially demarcated substitution zones. Replacement of sent-off players A substitute player may replace a sent-off player and enter the pitch two full minutes after the sending-off. They may, however, enter the pitch before the two minutes have elapsed should their team concede a goal while a player down. The goalkeepers Goalkeepers have only four seconds in which to play the ball, with either their hands or feet, and may not touch it again if it has been deliberately played to them by a team-mate without an opponent playing or touching it. Goalkeepers are also now free to play anywhere on the pitch and throw the ball beyond the halfway line, which was not previously permitted. Accumulated fouls and the second penalty mark Accumulated fouls are those penalized with a direct free-kick or penalty kick, regardless of whether advantage has been played or not. If a team commits a sixth accumulated foul, the opposing side may take the subsequent free-kick awarded to them without a wall, either from the second penalty mark, which is positioned four meters behind the first, or from a position even closer to the penalty area if the foul was committed between the goal line and the second penalty mark. Two more things Unlike 11-a-side football, goals may not be scored directly from the kick-off in futsal and there is no offside. http://www.fifa.com/futsalworldcup/news/y=2012/m=10/news=quick-guide-the-rules-futsal- 1798839.html http://resources.fifa.com/mm/document/footballdevelopment/refereeing/51/44/50/lawsofth egamefutsal2014_15_eneu_neutral.pdf