Question Number: 24434

League Specific 12/20/2010

RE: rec, competative Under 11

TO of Tualatin , Oregon USA asks...

Dear Sirs,
My question refers to Futsal. In a recent match two players going for a 50/50 ball collided and one was knocked to the ground. The other backed up and was not close enough to be in a position to challenge. The player then kicked the ball from the ground position. After a few seconds the ref called the foul as 'playing from the ground'. I have searched through your site but have found no reference yet as it referrers to FUTSAL.
I know that this is not a FIFA rule in 'outdoor' play which is misunderstood by many coaches. I understand that the ref can call for dangerous play (spikes are in the air or the player is endangering other players or his or her self) or a foul if the tackle/challenge is made late. I also understand that indoor/Futsal/Local rules have a no slide tackle rule. This was not a sliding tackle or a dangerous play so I am still confused by the call.
Along the same lines I am also playing in an adult indoor league and have been called for "slide tackling" but I have done nothing more than reach a little too far and basically take a knee. Without injuring or touching another player I should add. That would never be my intent. Can you explain this ruling to me?
BTW: Thank you so much for the site. Even after playing for 34 years I still don't know all of the rules because many just don't come into play most of the time. Your site is a great reference and I as a coach, club board member, and possible ref soon; greatly appreciate this source of expert knowledge.

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

This old chestnut again - I referee Futsal, and I know exactly what you're talking about. Nearly every time I see a player play the ball from the ground, it's met with appeals from the opposing team - and if I refuse to award the foul, apparently I'm the one who doesn't know the laws!

You are correct that 'playing the ball from the ground' is not an offence under the laws of the game - yet for whatever reason, it seems that at many social levels it's been accepted as a foul.

I guess the referee could put it under 'playing in a dangerous manner' - but under most circumstances it isn't dangerous.

As you seem to recognise the same issue is raised in outdoor, but it's far more prevalent in Futsal.

I find that in my area in Australia, many centres may impose their own rules on top of the laws of the game - and then there's the 'indoor soccer' centres which aren't affiliated with any official organisation, thus are free to apply any rules they like. This may be one source for the 'no playing from the ground' myth.

Personally, I don't see why a player should be punished just because he lost his footing - particularly when the ball is normally practically right at his feet as he falls, thus I think it'd be unreasonable to expect him to avoid playing it. Considering that the ball is often right next to the player on the ground, or even under/around his legs, I believe that him kicking the ball away is actually safer than waiting for an opponent to come and kick it away. Of course, there's no law against that player challenging from the ground, as long as he hasn't launched himself over the ground to do so.

I don't referee a lot of youth Futsal, but I've found that these grades are more likely to have these 'fake' rules in place - another common one is a ban on challenges from behind. The argument is that, at this age, it simply protects the players safety. I dispute that argument, but it seems to be a commonly held belief. Have a chat to the referees in your centre to find out their position. You can ask them why their implementing rules contrary to the laws of the game if you like, but they'll probably just claim it's for safety. However, at least you'll have a clear idea of what will and will not be called and you'll be able to coach your team appropriately.

The downside is that your players are then being taught the wrong thing in regards to the laws of the game, so the referees are doing the game a disservice - but that may be something you're stuck with.

Incidentally, the Futsal laws of the game have recently been revised and slide tackles are now allowed, as well as a few other changes - though it may take some time for these changes to filter through to your competition.

As for why your 'slide tackle' was called, there's a very fine line between a tackle that's a slide and not a slide - and I've found, in my area, there's very little consistency among interpretation. Even after asking FIFA Futsal referees and inspectors I've found startling inconsistency in interpretation. So, it simply may be that the referee holds the view that if you go to ground while tackling, that's enough to constitute a slide tackle - particularly if there's lateral motion involved. Your tackle sounds very close to a slide tackle, so I can understand why it may have been penalised, even if it may have been incorrect. When slide tackles were banned, you did not need to touch the player or even the ball; the simple act of the slide tackle is the foul regardless of outcome.


Thank you for your kind words. I only wish that more coaches and players would take the time to learn the laws of the beautiful game.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi
There is no offence in itself of playing the ball from the ground. If the referee believes however that the player on the ground by attempting to play the ball from that position where he cannot move out of the way of a tackle/kick for the ball then that in itself can be dangerous and many referees call the IDFK offence of PIADM. Fustal because of the close proximity of players state in its Laws that 'plays in a dangerous manner with the addition of 'in the presence of an opponent'. The tolerance level is lower indoors in my opinion due to the speed and proximity of players.
As regards slide tackling many local indoor League do not allow sliding tackles. The difficulty for referees is that what the player believes is a reach too far looks like an attempt at a slide tackle and to maintain control of tackling the referee awards the IDFK. I have handled this in the past with a reminder to the player to 'stay on the feet' which is the essence behind this local rule.
Thank your for your questions and your time which is the life blood of the site. Without interested players, coaches, referees etc the site would not exist