Soccer is played in accordance with a set of 17 rules, which are known as the ‘Laws of the Game’. A game consists of 2 teams (as in all team games), whose main objective is to get the ball into the other team’s goal (between the side posts and under the top bar).
The game is played over a duration of 90 minutes, which is divided into 2 segments of 45 minutes each. The team with the most goals at the end of the game is declared as the winner. If both teams end up with the same number of goals, the game is declared a draw.
The main rule of the game states that the ball shouldn’t be handled by the hand or the arm by any of the players (except by the ‘goalkeeper’ who, as the name states, is responsible for guarding the goal). However, an exception is made when the ball crosses the side – lines, during which the ball is thrown into the field of play to restart play. The players are allowed to use any other part of the body to move the ball around.
Players attempt to create goal scoring opportunities by maneuvering the ball around opposition players, passing the ball to a team-mate, and by taking a shot at the goal. Opposition players attempt to regain possession of the ball by intercepting passes, or by tackling the player in possession of the ball. However, physical contact should be kept to a minimum. Football is very much a free – flowing game, like hockey, and play is only stopped when the ball is kicked outside the field of play or when the play is stopped by the referee. Play is restarted at the area at which the ball is kicked out of play.
Play is generally stopped by the referee when a player appears to have tackled an opposition player with the intent of harming him. A yellow card is given as a warning to the player if he’s found guilty for any offence, and a red card is given if he repeats the offence, thereby barring him from playing in the rest of the match. He cannot be substituted after being given a red card, and the team will have to continue with a man short. However, a player can be substituted when given a yellow card.
Goal – kicks are given when the ball is kicked out of play at the end of the field, if the last player to make contact is from the team on the offensive. The goal-keeper will kick the ball into play. If it is by a player from the team on the defensive, a corner kick is given, whereby the opposition player will kick the ball into play from a corner of the field, depending on which side of the goal the ball was kicked into.
There is a rule called the ‘offside rule’ whereby a player from the team on the offensive cannot gain an advantage by staying too close to the goal. Play will be stopped if there is less than 2 players from the defensive team between the goal-keeper and the offensive player.
That’s pretty much the basics of the game. Don’t get scared by what you just read, just relax yourself on your sofa and get the remote and start watching, and you’ll find it to be a very nice game! |
