GIBRALTAR FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION MEN SENIOR FOOTBALL RULES OF THE GIBRALTAR FOOTBALL ASSOCATION CHALLENGE CUP COMPETITION 1. NAME OF CUP The Cup shall be called The Rock Cup (hereinafter referred to as The Cup ) 2. CUP OWNERSHIP ETC 2.1 The Cup is property of the Gibraltar Football Association ( hereinafter referred to as the GFA ). 2.2 The GFA shall deliver the trophy to the winning team (the Winner ), who shall be responsible for its return to the GFA on or before such date as may from time to time be specified by the council of the GFA in the ensuing year in good order and condition. 2.3 The Winner shall upon being presented with the trophy execute through an authorised club official for and on behalf of said club a guarantee in the following form:- Where as the Cup known as the Rock Cup has been handed to me in good order and condition to hold and to keep until the day of... 20 on behalf of... Football Club. NOW THEREFORE I hereby confirm and warrant that I shall keep safe and/or cause to be kept safe and in like condition throughout the period it is in my and/or the said teams possession said Rock Cup and pursuant to such confirmation and warranty I hereby freely and fully undertake to be bound in and hereby guarantee the sum of Five hundred pounds ( 500) for any lose or damage which the GFA may suffer in consequence of said trophy being in my and/or the possession of... Football Club.
Dated this... day of... 20 Signed: -... Witnessed by: -... 2.4 The Council of the GFA (hereinafter referred to as ( the Council ) may in its sole discretion present to the team and its players who have won the Cup for and/or been runners up thereof replica miniature cups, medals or other prizes. When a Player Member taking part in the final of the competition is ordered to leave the field or play for misconduct, the medal or other prize (if any) to which he may entitled may be withheld at the discretion of the council. 3. CONTROL OF COMPETITION 3.1 The ownership, organisation, control and management of the competition (hereinafter referred to as the Competition ) shall be vested entirely and exclusively in the GFA. 3.2 The Council shall have the power to make, delete and amend the rules for the organisation, control and management of the Competition as it from time to time deems expedient (hereinafter referred to as The Competition Rules ) 3.3 All teams participating in the Competition shall be bound by and shall comply with these Rules as may from time to time be amended by the Council. 3.4 In relation to any matter not specifically mentioned in these Rules, the Council shall have the power to take such action and make such decisions, orders, ruling s and impose such penalties as it deems necessary and follow such procedures as it considers appropriate. 3.5 The GFA shall itself be exclusively entitled, or to authorise others, to use sell of otherwise exploit all marketing and commercial rights associated with the Competition without limitation. 4. ELIGIBILE TEAMS 4.1 The Competition shall be open to all teams being registered members of the GFA. All teams competing in the 1 st Division of the league for the then current season shall automatically compete in the Competition. 4.2 The council may reject the entry of any team.
4.3 Subject to the provision of clause 4.1 each team wishing desirous to compete shall with reference the Competition complete an entry form and return it to the General Secretary of the GFA together with such fee (if any) as may from time to time be prescribed by the Council. 5. THE DRAW 5.1 None of the competing teams in the 1 st Division league for the then current season shall take part in the first round draw. On completion of the first round the said 1 st Division competing teams shall be entered in the draw. 5.2 The teams competing for the Cup shall be drawn in pairs. These teams shall compete against each other and the winning teams shall be drawn and shall compete in the same manner and this shall be continued until the end of the Competition, when the winning team shall win the Cup. 5.3 Immediately after the draw is made, notice shall be given to each team of the name of its opponent and the date and hour when the tie shall be played. All ties in each round shall be played at such times and on such days as the council may determine. 6. LAWS OF THE GAME Except to the extent that may be provided for in these Rules, the Laws of the Game shall apply to all fixtures played in the Competition. 7. CLUB COLOURS 7.1 Where the colours (shirts, shorts or stockings) of two competing teams are similar, the teams playing away must change unless the competing teams mutually agree alternative arrangements. 7.2 Teams colours must not clash with the outfit being worn by the Cup officials appointed for the fixture. 7.3 Players shirts must be clearly numbered on the back and must be in accordance with the name of the Player Member stated in the team sheets handed to the referee before the commencement of the fixture and there must be no change of numbers during the match. The Captain shall wear a distinguishing arm band to indicate his status. Only the name of the Player Member wearing the shirt can be displayed on the shirt.
7.4 Advertising up to a maximum of 32 sq ins (200 sq cm s) may be worn on players clothing. 8. DURATION OF MATCHES 8.1 The duration of each match throughout the Competition shall be one and a half hours, except that in special cases provided for in these Rules, an extra half hour must be played. The referee shall allow for time wasted or lost time through accident or other cause. The referee shall be the sole judge of allowance of time whether lost through accident or other cause and his/her decision on this matter shall not be subjected to appeal. 8.2 The half time interval shall be fifteen minutes. 8.3 Except in a semi-final tie and in the final, a match ending in a draw shall be determined by the taking of kicks from the penalty mark in accordance with the procedure adopted by the international Football Association Board. 8.4 If a semi-final tie or final tie endsin a draw after 90 minutes,an extra 30 minutes must be played,divided into two halves of fifteen minutes each. If the score is still level after extra time the winners shall be determined by taking of kicks from the penalty mark in accordance with the procedure adopted by the International Football Association Board. 8.5 The Council shall have power to vary the arrangements provided in this rules if it is deemed necessary. 8.6 If a match is cancelled, it shall be played as directed by the Council. If a match is abandoned prior to full time due to weather conditions or the state of the pitch it shall be replayed. If a match is abandoned during extra time due to weather conditions or state of the pitch, the full thirty minute extra time stipulated in 8.4 must be replayed. 8.7 Where a match is abandoned through the fault of a team and/or their supporters, the Club Member, players and supporters shall be liable to disciplinary proceedings for misconduct. 9. PROVISIONS FOR SCRATCHING FROM THE COMPETITION 9.1 Any club intending to scratch must give notice of their intention to do so to the secretary of the opposing team and to the council not less than three days before the date fixed for playing. 9.2 Any team failing to comply with rule 9.1 shall be liable to disciplinary proceedings for misconduct.
9.3 If a team intends to scratch after a drawn game intimation must be given to its opponent and the close of the match. 9.4 Teams failing to give satisfactory reason for scratching or withdrawing shall not be allowed to enter the Competition the following season and shall be liable to disciplinary proceedings. 10. PROVISION CONCERNING QUALIFICATIONS OF PLAYERS 10.1 The Cup shall be competed for annually in accordance with these Rules. Unless a satisfactory reason is given, each team shall represent the full available length of such team/club. 10.2 The players for each team in the competition shall be duly qualified according to the Rules of the GFA. 10.3 A Player Member shall not in the same season play for one or more competing club, but the members of each respective team may be changed during the series of matches. 10.4 A Player Member who has been suspended may play in postponed, drawn or replayed ties after the term of his suspension has expired. 10.5 A substitute who is not used is entitled to play for another club in the same season. 10.6 In all rounds of the Competition a Player Member must have been a registered member of his club at least seven days previous to the date fixed for playing the match for that round. In the case of postponed, drawn or replayed matches only those players shall be allowed to play who are eligible at the time fixed for playing the said match. 10.7 In order to be eligible for the final ties, players must have been correctly registered and eligible for the semi-final round of the Competition. 10.8 In any tie,a club shall abide by the Locally Trained Player Rules set out in Schedule 1 hereto. 11. VALIDITY OF PLAYERS QUALIFICATION If the Council have any doubt as to the qualifications of any Player Member taking part in this Competition, they shall have power to call upon such Player Member, or to the club to which he belongs, of for which he played to prove that he is Qualified according
to these rules and failing satisfactory proof being given the Council may disqualify such Player Member, and remove the Club from the Competition and impose such other penalty as they may think. 12. DISQUALIFICATION The Council shall have the power to disqualify any competing team, or Player Member from any competing club, found to have breached the Rules of the GFA or these Rules. The decision of the Council in this respect shall be final. 13. REFEREES AND ASSISTANT REFEREES 13.1 In all matches the referees and assistant referees shall be appointed by the referees association. 13.2 The duties of the referees and assistant referees shall be defined in the Laws of the Game. 14. PROVISION RELATING TO PROTESTS 14.1 All questions relating to the qualifications of competitors or interpretation of these rules shall be referred to the Council whose decision shall be final and binding on both teams. 14.2 Every protest must be made in writing and must contain the particulars of the grounds upon which it is founded. Two copies of the protest must be lodged with the Council, accompanied by a fee of 25 within two days (Sundays not included) of the Cup to which it relates. The fee paid shall be none refundable. 14.3 The Council may order any club engaged in a dispute or protest to pay such sum as may be considered necessary towards defraying the expenses incurred. 14.4 Any protest relating to the ground, goalposts or bars or other appurtenances of the game shall not be entertained by the Council unless an objection has been lodged with the referee before the commencement of the match and not later than ten minutes before the official time for the kick-off. 14.5 When and objection has been lodged with the referee a protest must be made to the Council and neither objection or protest shall be withdrawn except with the leave of the Council.
14.6 The Council shall send a copy of the protest and particulars received to the team protested against. 14.7 Each team may support its case by witness. 14.8 If a member of the Council is connected with the team/club concerned in a dispute or protest, he shall not sit on the Council whilst the dispute or protest is being considered. 14.9 A Club summoned to attend a hearing or a dispute or protest may be represented by one or more of its members. Barristers or solicitors may not represent a club or a Player Member at a hearing unless they were a member of the club at the time of the alleged offence. Any person summoned to attend a hearing unless they were a member of the club at the time of the alleged offence. Any person summoned to attend a hearing of a dispute or protest must attend personally and shall not be legally represented. 15. MATCHES 15.1 The referee appointed for the match shall be the sole authority to decide all questions referring to the fitness or otherwise of the ground at the time of the scheduled kick-off of the said fixture. 15.2 In the event of a referee failing to appear onthe field of play five minutes before the scheduled kick-off time for a fixture the senior assistant referee appointed for the fixture shall officiate as referee. Referees and or assistants shall be entitled at his/her sole discretion to officiate a match with one or more of the appointed match officials absent provided always that he/she considers himself/herself capable of doing. 15.3 The first named team in the match shall be known as the home team and shall be responsible for providing a match ball which complies with the requirements of the Laws of the Game. 15.4 The captain of each team in a fixture shall not later than ten minutes before the time scheduled for the kick-off provide the match officials appointed for the fixture with the prescribed and duly completed team sheets appertaining to said fixture. 15.5 No more than three registered club officials and five fully kitted out substitutes shall be permitted to occupy at any time during a fixture the allocated bench.
16. NOTICES All notices required to be given to the Council by any of these rules shall be addressed to the General Secretary of the association at the offices of the GFA. 17. INTERPRETATION OF RULES The Council shall be deemed to be the sole authority for the interpretation of these rules and the decision of the Council upon any question or matter relating to the administration and organisation of the Competition which is not provided for herein shall be final and binding on all teams and/or players.