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Footy Rules: Difference between revisions
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{{Useful Notes}}
{{quote|''"The ball is round, a game lasts ninety minutes, everything else is pure theory. Off we go!"''|'''Herr Schuster''', '''''[[Run Lola Run]]''''' [[Opening Narration]], quoting former German national coach Sepp Herberger}}
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** The only times when a player other than the goalkeeper is allowed to touch the ball with his hands is when he is setting up for a stationary kick (free kick, corner kick, or penalty kick) or when the ball is being put back into play after going off the pitch.
** The goalkeeper is also the only position that someone MUST play. You must have one designated goalkeeper on the pitch at all times, you cannot play without one. If a goalkeeper gets hurt the play is whistled dead and is not resumed until he either signals that he can go on or until he is replaced. If you happen to use up all your substitutions a field player has to replace an injured or sent off goalie by taking his jersey and gloves.
* The rest of the players do not have positions defined in the rules, but generally split into defenders, midfielders and attackers (also known as strikers), with varying flavours of each. This convention is maintained in order to facilitate training, since defenders must be good at intercepting, midfielders must be good at moving the ball, and strikers must be good at scoring. Most professional footballers specialise in one area or another, though there are some all-rounders.
** The exact positions of each player on the pitch make up the team's "formation". The most popular formation is 4-4-2<ref>That's 4 defenders, 4 midfielers and 2 strikers, formations are always listed from the back to the front.</ref>, especially among British teams, to such an extent that a popular footbal magazine was [[wikipedia:FourFourTwo|named after it]]. In recent years, alternative formations such as 4-5-1, 4-3-3 and 4-1-2-1-2 have become more popular.
** To give a more specific break-down of all the positions:
** '''Defenders:'''
*** '''Centre-backs'''. These players play [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|in the centre, at the back]]. They are the most defensive players on the pitch, rarely if ever straying into the opponent's half. Their job is to tackle attackers, clear danger, and otherwise protect the goal and prevent the opposing team from having a scoring chance. They are usually stereotyped as [[The Big Guy|big, hulking men with a lot of physical presence]], but recently more elegant centre-backs that can play the ball out from the back have become more common. As these guys are usually large and have air superiority it's a common tactic to take them to the front when getting a corner kick or a free kick near the penalty box, as they will occasionally score a header. While they do so the Full Backs and Defensive Midfielders will secure the back line, as they are usually smaller and slender and not of much use in the heat.
*** '''Sweeper'''. A specific type of centre-back, who plays behind the other centre-backs in order to "sweep up" any danger that slips through the defense. Not commonly seen in British teams, but traditionally a favourite of Italian sides. It is possible for a sweeper to play just in front of the centre-backs rather than behind them but they are then usually considered as a deep-lying midfielder rather than a defender.
*** '''Full-backs'''. These play at each side of the defense - one Right-back and one Left-back. They defend against any oppostion attacking down the wing, but also have to run down the pitch to help their own team in attack. Commonly stereotyped as the "dump position", especially in kid's leagues, where it is usually a position the coach puts the useless kids in order to keep them out of the way, and probably the most under-appreciated position in the game. It is actually one of the most exhausting positions in modern soccer, as they usually run tirelessly from one goal line to the other, especially when they have to support their respective winger.
*** '''Wing-backs'''. [[The Same but More|The same as full-backs]], but they play further up the pitch and are more focused on attacking. Usually only used if the team is using three centre-backs.
** '''Midfielders:'''
*** '''Central Midfielders'''. Arguably the most important and influential position on the pitch. Their job is to do... [[Do-Anything Robot|everything]]. They have to stop any oncoming attacks, and when they get the ball they have to pass or dribble it out, they are usually expected to get up the pitch and shoot and get back to clear the danger. Usually the "Playmakers", who control the flow of the play. They are essentially the glue holding the team together, as they have to link the defense with the attack.
*** '''Defensive Midfielder''' (Sometimes called Holding Midfielder or Midfield Anchor). They play in the centre, between the defenders and midfielders. Their job is to stop anything getting to the defense. They are usually the best tacklers in the game, and are usually expected to be good passers also. In modern soccer the Central Offensive Midfielder may be the brain of the game, but the Defensive Midfielder is the heart. They function as a link between defense and offense, and they dictate the pace of the game. In the last few years Defensive Midfielders have become so important that most teams now opt to take two of them (4-2-3-1) in favor of the second striker. Even though the Defensive Midfielder is one of the most important positions, it is probably the least glamourous, because they work like a horse, but the others get the spotlight a lot more. Most of their work is rarely seen.
*** '''Attacking Midfielder'''. Plays ahead of the midfielders but not quite in attack. Usually good at dribbling and shooting, this player's job is usually to attack and shoot from a deep position, or to provide an extra link between midfield and attack.
*** '''Wingers''' (or Wide Midfielders). These play at the sides of the pitch (Right-wing and Left-wing). They specialise in dribbling and crossing, and are usually fast. Their job is usually to bring the ball past the defense at the side of the pitch and then cross it in for the strikers to score, though several instead specialise in coming in from the sides and shooting at goal. "Winger" and "Wide midfielder" are basically interchangable as terms, though "Winger" usually implies a more attacking mentality. A special form of the Winger is the so called "wrong footed" Winger (e.g. a left footed player on the Right Wing). These guys almost never cross, but instead dash to the middle of the field and try to score with their strong foot. Because this can be extremely effective most professional teams will encourage their Wingers to occasionally switch sides to confuse the defense and be more variable.
** '''Forwards''' (Or Strikers):
*** '''Centre-forwards'''. The main job of this player is to get into scoring positions, wait for the ball to come to him, and then score. Often a "[[The Big Guy|target man]]", a physically large player that others can hoof up passes to, or a [[Fragile Speedster|fast player]] who will run onto through-balls, out-pacing the defense.
*** '''Secondary Strikers'''. A forward who plays just behind the centre-forward(s), "[[Innocent Innuendo|in the hole]]" between midfield and attack. They are usually more creative players who use dribbling skill to pick up the ball in a deep position and then take it past the defense. The line between this and the aforementioned Attacking Midfielder is quite blurred, it's a matter of semantics really.
*** '''Wide forwards'''. [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|Forwards that play in a wide position]]. Again, they're not much different from Wingers, except that they play further up the pitch, and usually are not expected to defend.
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* Substitutions are allowed either for tactical reasons or to replace injured or tired players, but most competitions only allow a very limited number - in the English League and most others, the rule is that seven extra players may be named in the match day squad, of which three may be used as substitutes. So there is no swapping of the entire team to bring in a "special team" for particular situations.
** Also note that you (usually) have only three substitutions, no matter what happens. One of your players got injured? You have to use one of your substitutions for it. One of your players got injured after you used all of your subs? Bad luck, then you have to play with one player less. If your goalkeeper gets injured or sent off the field (see Red Card below) and you are out of substitutions one of the field players has to replace him.
** A substituted player can't re-enter the game. For example: A goalkeeper picks up a minor injury and is substituted. He can't later return to the field if he recovers even if the team has not make all the substitutions it is allowed.
* Play is continuous, only stopping when the ball goes out of play or an infraction is committed. Or the period of play ends, of course.
** A match lasts 90 minutes, divided in two 45-minute halves. Except for the mid-game recess, the clock never stops ticking (not even for evacuating an injured player off the field). Both halves may be extended for a few minutes based on the referee's judgement. In games that must produce a win (namely, tournament play), if the game is a draw by the 90 minute mark, it may go on over time for some 30 minutes, and even a penalty round (see below) if needed.
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* A goal is scored when the ball goes into a goal, irrespective of who sends the ball there. Sending the ball into your own goal is called, appropriately, an "own goal," and is probably the greatest humiliation a player can suffer.
* Each team names a team captain. The captain is identified by wearing a colored bandage around his left upper arm, his job is to do the side choice at the beginning of every game, he has to motivate his team mates and lead them by example. Also, in theory at least, the captain is the only player on the field who is allowed to discuss with the referee, although in reality every player does this by his own right. This can and will net you a yellow card if you bother the ref too much.
* There are three levels of infraction of the rules.
** At the lowest level, a free kick will be awarded to the opposing team. All players from the penalised team must step back from the ball and let the opposition play it. This can be dangerously close to goal and some players like David Beckham make a speciality of scoring from these.
*** While the opposition can (and in most cases will) demand the penalised team to step back, they are allowed to start the play immediately if they want to.
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* Any offence committed by a team in the box around the goal that they are ''defending'' earns the attacking team a penalty kick. The ball is placed on a spot approximately 12 yards (11 meters) from the goal and an attacking player shoots from the spot at the goal, which may only be defended by the goalkeeper. Penalty kicks are infamous for being among the most tense moments of the game; players are generally expected to score from penalties, and a goalkeeper who saves the shot is cheered by his own fans, and players who miss a penalty can get a ''lot'' of flack.
** Not ''any'' offence, as some are awarded only by indirect free-kicks which cannot be directly scored from (such as a pass-back). This can result in a free-kick from where it took place - even theoretically on the goal line.
** In many competitions where a game must produce a winner, penalty kicks are used to decide a winner if - even after extra time - the two teams cannot be separated. Five kicks apiece are taken, with the team who scores the most winning. The English football team have an unhappy knack of being eliminated from major tournaments on penalties, most notably in the World Cup semi-final in 1990, the European Championship semi-final in 1996 (both against Germany) and their last two tournaments in 2006 and 2004 (both against Portugal).
*** The English national team is a curious cultural phenomenon. The whole country invariably expects great things from its team, and always finds an unfortunate scapegoat to blame for the inevitable defeat. In recent years the blame has normally fallen on the manager of the team, although in the past individual players have been blamed: David Beckham in '98 for getting sent off, Chris Waddle in '90 for missing a critical penalty, and in a rare case of an opposing player being blamed, Diego Maradona in '86 for blatantly cheating. Yes, we're still bitter about it 22 years on. In 2010, the blame was split between the referee (who failed to see a valid goal everyone else could), the back four, Fabio Capello (whose managing of the side completely fell apart after said goal), and Emile Heskey (who had squandered multiple easy chances in the group stage which contributed to England losing the group).
* Football is generally a low-scoring game, with most matches generating somewhere in the region of four goals or fewer. Winning by one goal is considered a bit of a tight win, winning by two is average, by three is an easy win, by four is a thrashing and by five or more is a complete [[Curb Stomp Battle]].
** Since scoring ''is'' difficult, it's absolutely normal and acceptable to yell "GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!" at the top of your lungs when the goal falls -- you can see the entire crowd going all wild -- and some fans and tournaments have their trademark ways of celebrating a goal; the Brazilians, for example, play an improvised samba, while the 2006 FIFA World Cup stadiums played Bob Sinclair's "Love Generation" every time someone scored.
** Justified due to the size of the field (along with the non-stop action with the teams trading possession all the time), and the fact that scoring a goal only awards one point at a time (i.e. no three points for field goals).
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** The above is all very technical and complicated, but even worse, FIFA (the world governing body) periodically changes the wording of the rule. Each time the theory is to close some loopholes or clarify the thing, but in fact each change makes the rule so complex that almost no-one, including top international players, actually knows what the rule is anymore.
*** Essentially, the latest one just clarified that being "equally close" does not count as "closer" for off-side purposes, thus changing the set of possible off-side situations from a closed set to a semi-open set (mathematically speaking). Of course, this hasn't made adjudicating the rule any easier.
*** The general route of the FIFA for the referees is that, when in doubt, don't call offside. This prefers the attacking team, and is done to increase the goals or at least the scoring opportunities per game. It is, however, very difficult - if not downright impossible - for the ref himself to see an offside position, so he is supported by two linesmen, who each watch half of the playing field from the sides and communicate with the ref by waving a flag if an infraction happens. He has to trust their judgement, but he is the one who gets called out if they screw up.
** Interesting situations occur uncommonly, but make a great debate when they do occur. For instance (this occurred in Euro 2008), a defending player who is behind his own goal line is counted as standing on that goal line in terms of offside. This prevents him simply leaving the field of play (which he is not allowed to do without the ref's permission) in order to play a striker offside. This caused controversy when an injured player played the opposition onside, resulting in a goal.
** Skilled teams can spend a lot of training trying to trick the attacking players into offside positions, commonly known as "the offside trap". Whenever a player was likely to get the ball, the defending team would walk forward in a straight line to get him accidentally offside.
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{{reflist}}
[[Category:Useful Notes/Britain]]
[[Category:Sporting Event]]
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