Football Rules and Regulations You Need to Know in 2021

Football Rules and Regulations You Need to Know in 2021

If I may ask this, what are the basic football rules and regulations everyone, especially soccer players and fans should know  in 2021 and beyond? I doubt most of us will know the appropriate answer…

Football rules and regulations are set of instructions which must be followed accordingly by football players in the field of play irrespective of who the player is. Whether it’s a World Cup final, the Premier League or an amateur match, the laws of the game of football are the same at all levels with the primary goal being to maintain fairness in the most popular sport practice in the world.

From offside to the equipment of the players, what are the rules of football?

The first rules and laws of football date back to 1863

  • It was in 1863 that the first official rules of football were created.
  • A few years later, in 1886, the International Football Association Board (IFAB) was created. It is made up of the four countries of the United Kingdom of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
  • The objective of this association is to ensure compliance with the laws of the game.
  • In 1913, FIFA, the International Federation of Association Football, joined the IFAB.

Safety of participants, integrity of the game, respect, these are the watchwords of the rules of the game.

Revision of the gaming laws by FIFA

Referee, Sport, Football, Competition-Football Rules and Regulations
Football Rules and Regulations

In 2016, FIFA carried out a review of the Laws of the Game which resulted in a new official Laws of the Game 2018/2019 document one that governs the practice of football today.

National federations around the world are subject to these rules which have no other purpose than to preserve the spirit of the game.

What are the official dimensions of a football field?

Regarding the dimensions of the field, law 01 of football provides for a length of the touchline between 90m and 120m.

The goal line must be a minimum of 64m and a maximum of 75m. When it comes to international matches, these dimensions increase to between 100m-110m and 64m-75m respectively.

The land must be rectangular. It is divided into two halves marked by a center line. In the middle of this line is a circle with a radius of 9.15 m.

The dimensions of the football goal

Regarding football goals , the distance between the two posts is 7.32 m, while its height stands at 2.44 m.

Regulation of soccer balls

Law 02 of football asserts that the football must be spherical; with a circumference between 68 and 70 cm and a weight between 410 and 450 g at the start of the match.

Balls used in official competition matches must bear one of the following labels: FIFA Quality Pro, FIFA Quality, IMS International Match Standard.

This proves that they have been duly tested.

Rules relating to football teams

Law 03 of football refers to the players and the teams.

  • Each team must consist of a maximum of eleven players.
  • No match can continue if one of the teams has less than seven players.
  • If changes of players are planned, the name of the substitutes must be communicated to the referee before the start of the match.
  • The goal keeper must be in the goal post to intercept incoming goals/balls.

Law 04 on players’ equipment authorizes that no participant should wear anything dangerous, such as jewelry.

Mandatory equipment during a football match

Mandatory equipment includes: jersey with sleeves, shorts, socks, shin guards, shoes.

As for the referees, they must have a whistle, a watch of yellow and red cards and a notebook.

Video arbitration assistance is now authorized. For matches where it is implemented (official matches), a viewing room is compulsory.

It houses the video assistant referee as well as the technicians.

Player offside, offside ball: what does the football law say?

Law 09 provides that the ball is out of play in the following two cases:

  • when it has completely crossed the goal line or touchline
  • when play has been stopped by the referee.

In all other situations, the ball is in play.

As for the player’s offside position, it is declared when any part of the player’s body is closer to the opponent’s goal line than the ball and the penultimate opponent.

The referee then awards an indirect free kick to the opposing team at the place where the infringement was committed. This is only valid inside the opposition’s half.

Faults and improprieties in football

Direct, indirect free kicks and penalty kicks are awarded by the referee following infringements committed during the game. The direct free kick concerns the following situations:

  • Charge on the opponent
  • Jump on the opponent
  • Kick on an opponent, or even an attempt
  • Pushing an opponent
  • Hitting or trying to hit an opponent
  • Tackle an opposing player
  • Tripping an opponent, or just trying

As for the indirect free kick, it is signaled for the following faults:

  • Playing in a dangerous way
  • Obstructing the opponent without contact
  • Preventing the opposing goalkeeper from releasing the ball from his hands

The faults punishable by a warning, yellow card or red card, relate to the following infractions:

  • Delaying the resumption of play
  • Showing blatant disapproval
  • Deliberately leaving the pitch without the referee’s permission
  • Not respecting the legal distance when taking a corner, a free kick or a throw-in
  • Adopt unsportsmanlike behavior

Law on Penalty

A penalty kick  is awarded in the following cases:

  • If the player commits a fault punishable by a direct free kick in his own penalty area
  • If the player commits an offense punishable by a direct free kick outside the field and within the framework of the game

When taking the penalty shoot-out, all players other than the shooter and the goalkeeper must be at least 9.15m from the penalty spot and outside the penalty area.

The Football Goal

Finally, since playing football means scoring goals, Law 10 of football provides that a goal is scored when the ball has completely crossed the goal line between the posts and under the crossbar.

The winning team is the one that has scored the most goals. Otherwise, the match is declared a draw.

Now, let Us Consider How to Play Football Games for Beginners (with GIFs)

In order to play football games perfectly  like a professional ,you must/should come to terms with key basics, skills or fundamentals. Admittedly,  certain fundamentals must be learn properly and in the right manner.

Are you looking at venturing into the game of football either for fun or professionally? Or do you want to help a child master the art of playing football games or a football with the right technique?

This article comprehensively covers with expert-provided GIFs, how to kick a soccer ball with elite-level technique.

Are you romancing the web with keywords related to play football games for free, play soccer games, play football games 4th, and goal play football games freely online, play football games flash game? This post will do justice to that…


There are three different kicking or playing methods in football which encompasses how to correctly pass the low ball, high ball and how to shoot. Although this content is primarily centred around beginners, even the professional footballer could learn a couple of things from this write up. Let’s get on with it.

How to Play Football Games/ Ball For Beginners

Pass

To better understand this, let’s look at the most basic passing. When you pass the ball, you should pay attention to some important details.

First of all, no matter when the ball is passed, there must be a certain measured distance between the ball and the foot, this way the kicked ball is more powerful.

The second is the supporting foot. If the right foot kicks the ball, the left foot should be almost parallel to the ball, because this will better maintain the balance of the body.

Follow the visual figures below to better understand how to master this basic kicking technique.

Figure 1-The supporting foot is on the ball side

If you can’t maintain a good balance, you will be forced to incline backwards when the ball is kicked, which is a poor kicking posture

Figure 2-Demonstration of poor kicking posture

To maintain a good balance, place the left foot parallel to the side of the ball, and then use the inside of the foot to complete the pass.

Figure 3-Hit the ball on the inside of the foot

When hitting the ball, use the part of the foot highlighted in the clip below to kick the middle of the ball. If the kick position is too low, the ball will be kicked upwards, which will cause difficulty for the receiver.

Figure 4-Bow hitting the ball

Now combine all of the aforementioned four steps and swing the calf to hit the middle of the ball firmly and powerfully.

At this point, we want to emphasize that many footballers tend to possess insufficient kicking strength due to an inaccurate swing of the calf. This is one mistake you should avoid. The clip below fully explains to swing your calf accurately to generate enough power.

Figure 5-Swinging the calf

If the the right part of the ball is hit with the right method, the kicked ball will move forward on the ground and the teammates will have better control. So if the pass is good, the ball will go straight to the teammate.

Another important point in passing is the direction of the supporting foot. If you want to pass forward, the toes of your supporting foot should point forward, as this is your line of sight.

This is a point often overlooked when practicing. The correct placement of the supporting feet not only allows you to pass the ball more accurately, but also helps you maintain your body balance.

Figure 6-Support feet pointing

We can take a look at the following example. If we want to pass the ball straight ahead with our supporting foot pointing to the side of the body, it is obvious that the body will be very awkward. This makes it easier for the opponent to detect your intention and dispossessed you.

This kind of mistake is especially easy for kids and beginners to make. Remember that the kicking foot should always be at a 90-degree angle to the supporting foot, and the supporting foot should point in the direction you want to pass.

Figure 7-Demonstration of support foot error

How to Play football games for Beginners: Overhead Long Pass 

The second way of playing a football game is to hit for a  long pass. This is also a skill that must be mastered in order to better understand how to kick a soccer ball. When serving goal kicks or switching play, the high ball will play a very important role.

Unlike regular passing, kicking the ball is nothing special so the preparations before kicking are exactly the same. The ball is moved away from the foot to leave enough space for the ball but more importantly, the supporting foot is slightly adjusted this time, at a distance farther away than ordinary passing.

Rather than the top, kick the bottom of the ball with the position of the shoelace of our foot.

Figure 8-Shoelaces hitting the ball

The only way to hit a long pass is to hit the lower part of the ball, which will also produce a spin. If you had kicked in the wrong position, the ball might get to its intended target, but with the amount of uncontrolled rotations it will generate, it will be difficult for your teammates to control your pass.

Figure 9-Bottom of the shot

Just as various spins are applied in table tennis to make it difficult for the opponent to receive the ball, so also try to make the ball spin downward to give your teammate the most stable pass.

Figure 10-Long pass demonstration

When kicking the ball, the body naturally leans back, which also helps to kick the ball up.

Figure 11-Demonstration of body backward

When the body is leaned back, the foot is easier to hit the bottom of the ball, which is a correct body posture for a long pass.

Figure 12-Lean back and hit the bottom of the ball

When kicking the ball, the foot will naturally sweep across the ground, which signifies that if your foot does not sweep across the ground, you are kicking in the wrong position.

However, be careful not to sweep the body horizontally too early, as this might result in sweeping the football with your toes, making it difficult to kick the ball.

Figure 13-Sweep the ground with the ball

How to Shoot a Soccer Ball for Beginners

The next step is shooting.

Many people want to make their kicks “harder” and how to shoot with power is the biggest concern of many footballers, even professionals. In the next few diagrams we will explain how to shoot a soccer ball with the right technique.

It is important to first note that different positions have different hitting powers. If you are far away and want to shoot hard, you should shoot with the front of your foot.

Figure 14-Demonstration of shooting with the back of the instep

When shooting goalwards, first let the ball move away from the body. If the space is too tight, it will be difficult to exert force. Put the ball in front of you at an angle, and place the supporting foot parallel to the ball. This is similar to passing the ball.

However, when kicking the ball, the toes should face down completely. If the foot is lifted up a little bit, it is likely to be inaccurate, therefore, this must be strictly followed.

When shooting, you must face down and hit the ball with the front of your metatarsal.

Figure 15-Toe Down Demonstration

Of course, you can also use the inside of your foot to shoot, which is more accurate, but if you want to use more power, you must use the front of your foot.

Figure 16-Use the front instep for force

The source of strength comes from swinging your legs, so swing your calves back to the hips, then hit the ball.

The greater the amplitude or swing, the greater the power. A lot of footballers tend to pay too much attention to force or want to execute their shot quickly, that they ignore the pertinence of swinging the leg. This is the most important factor behind weak shots.

Figure 17-Leg swing height

Finally, when shooting, you should kick the ball out and follow the whole body. After the kicking foot hits the ball, take a step forward and let the whole body move forward with the ball, so that you can generate more kinetic energy.

Figure 18-The body follows the trend

Figure 19-Demonstration of shooting from the instep

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