Football is a very interesting game. And to be honest, some football rules make the sport even
more interesting. Yeah, of course, as a football fan, you are familiar with most rules of the game.
You can spot an offside, you can tell when a foul deserves a red,
and more often than not, you sure can spot a penalty yourself.
However, in this video, we will be bringing you 10 rules in football that you probably never
knew about. And no, these are not back in the day rules. They still exist. Let’s get right into it!
1. You can’t score an own goal from a free kick or throw in
You probably have never had to think about this one because it very rarely happens.
But here’s one rule you probably never knew about.
If a team gets a throw-in and somehow the ball ends up at the
back of their net straight from the throw, it doesn’t count as a goal.
Same with goal-kicks. If a team gets a freekick and somehow the ball ends up
in the back of their own net straight from that freekick, then it doesn’t count either.
What the ref would do if something like this happened is to offer the opponents a corner.
Weird rule, right?
2. Two touches not allowed during penalty
The rule here is simple, a penalty taker gets only one touch of the ball while taking a penalty.
Anything more than one touch, then the goal, if scored, won’t count.
So, for example, if the penalty taker hits the ball to the bar and it ricochets back to him,
if he hits the ball again before anybody else, then the goal doesn’t stand.
Or if a player maybe slips right before his kick and hits the ball from one leg
to the other, the penalty is annulled and a freekick is awarded to the opponents.
A perfect example of where this rule has been implemented
is this Mahrez's penalty against Manchester City. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgsHo7qltN4)
As you can see, he slipped and hit the ball from his left foot to his right,
which means he took 2 touches. So, although the ball ended up in the back of the net,
it didn’t count because of this rule.
3. The 6-second rule
Typically, goalkeepers are not allowed to hold on to the ball for more than 6 seconds. And if
they do, the referee is allowed to issue a yellow card to the keeper, and even award a freekick.
But this is one of those rules where implementation is left
largely to the discretion of the ref. Most times,
this rule is only implemented late in the game when the offending keeper’s team is in the lead.
But the ref can actually issue a yellow card at any time of the game to any goalkeeper,
leading or losing, if they hold the ball for more than 6 seconds. And we bet you didn’t
know that an indirect freekick can be awarded to the opposition for that kind of time wasting.
4. Goalkeepers can’t shake the post before a penalty
Penalties are perhaps the most tension-filled moments in football. So, both the taker and the
goalkeeper usually find a way to shift the tension to the other party. And many times, goalkeepers
try to hit the posts before the penalty is taken to try and intimidate the taker a little.
Well, that is illegal. Even though this is hardly adhered to,
the referee should not actually allow that to happen.
According to the rules, the upright and the crossbar should be completely still
at the time the penalty is taken. So, it’s either the kick is delayed after
the keeper hits the post or the referee warns the goalkeeper not to hit it at all.
5. You can see red before and after a game
Guess what! You can actually be sent off before you officially
even get on the pitch or after you have got off it.
If, according to the ref, a player commits an offense deserving a red after the final whistle
has been blown, he can still send that player off. The ban will be served and the fine will be paid.
Also, if the ref sees a bookable offense before kickoff, say
fighting in the tunnel, or a player attacking a fan during warmup,
the referee can issue a red card to the player even before the game commences.
Now, the big question is; will the team then have to play with 10 men from start to finish
considering one of their players was sent off before the game started?
Well, no. Other punishments will be served,
but the team can replace that player before the game starts. So, they can still field 11.
Before we go any further, you seem to be enjoying this video, so please give it a thumbs up.
And subscribe to the channel, too. Done? Now, let’s get back to these unusual rules.
6. Number of players must be equal on both sides for a shootout
Imagine a situation where a player was sent off during the course of a game,
and the game went on to penalty shoot-out. The other team will
technically have to give one of their players the marching orders for the penalties, too.
Basically, the number of players eligible to take the spot kicks
must be equal on both sides. So, if one side finished the game with 8 players,
the other team would have to exclude 3 players from their penalty lineup. And those players
would not be allowed to stand with the rest of the players in the middle of the pitch.
So, think back to any game that saw a player sent off and went into penalties and go and
confirm the numbers. 2 prime examples are the 2008 Champions League final between
Manchester United and Chelsea and the 2006 World Cup final between France and Italy.
7. It is not illegal to score from a fairplay restart
You know when the opponent has a player down and the game is halted so the player gets
medical attention? When the ball is being put back into play from, say, a drop ball,
if the opposing player plays it straight into your net, the goal will stand.
Yes, it may seem unfair or very unsportsmanlike, but in that case,
the referee actually does not have the authority to disallow the goal.
8. A game can start 7 vs 11
Of course, you know that football allows a maximum of 11 players per team for any game.
But did you know that a game can kick-off with lopsided numbers?
Basically, if, for whatever reason, you don’t have sufficient players to field,
you can send 7 players on to the pitch to play against the opponents’ 11.
We saw this happen a couple of times recently because of the effects of the coronavirus.
Squads without much depth were forced to field less than 11 players just to avoid a walkover.
Of course, this is a similar rule to
one you are probably familiar with. Where only a maximum of 4 players on the pitch can be sent off
from a team of 11. Anything less than 7 players on the pitch for a side and the game will be ended.
9. Substitutes can’t take throw-ins or corner kicks
Of course, this does not mean that if you were subbed in, you can’t take any throw
or play any corner throughout the game. It just means that, if there was a throw-in
or corner awarded to your side just before you got subbed on, you can’t be the one to take it.
The rationale behind this one is that a player has to first have been on the pitch
before they can participate in actions off it. That is why
the rule does not apply to freekicks because that is fully on the pitch.
10. Goalkeepers can’t roll up their sleeves
Have you noticed that you hardly ever catch a goalkeeper in a short-sleeved
jersey during a game? Well, not only are the keepers expected to wear long-sleeves,
they are also mandated not to roll them up during the game.
Apparently, this is to help the referee easily distinguish between the hands of the goalkeeper
and those of an outfield player when they hold the ball. It would
appear that the gloves aren't distinctive enough.
Anyway, there you have it. 10 football rules that you probably never knew about. If you
like this video, give it a thumbs up. Also, subscribe to the channel and turn on the
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