Laws of the Game

The Laws of the Game (LOTG) are the codified rules that help define association football. They are the only rules of association football subscribed to by the sport's governing body FIFA. The laws mention the number of players a team should have, the game length, the size of the field and ball, the type and nature of fouls that referees may penalise, the frequently misinterpreted offside law, and many other laws that define the sport. During a match, it is the task of the referee to interpret and enforce the Laws of the Game.

There were various attempts to codify the rules of football in England in the mid-19th century. The extant Laws date back to 1863 where a ruleset was formally adopted by the newly formed Football Association. The original Laws were heavily influenced by the Cambridge rules and their early development saw substantial influence from the Sheffield Rules. Over time, the Laws have been amended, and since 1886 they have been maintained by the International Football Association Board.

Current Laws of the Game

Rules

The current Laws of the Game (LOTG) consist of seventeen individual laws, each law containing several rules and directions:

• Law 1: The Field of Play
• Law 2: The Ball
• Law 3: The Players
• Law 4: The Players' Equipment
• Law 5: The Referee
• Law 6: The Other Match Officials
• Law 7: The Duration of the Match
• Law 8: The start and restart of play
• Law 9: Ball in and out of play
• Law 10: Determining the outcome of the match
• Law 11: Offside
• Law 12: Fouls and Misconduct
• Law 13: Free kicks (direct and indirect)
• Law 14: The Penalty Kick
• Law 15: The Throw-in
• Law 16: The Goal Kick
• Law 17: The Corner Kick

External links

• The current Laws of the Game (FIFA Site)
• Rules & Governance (The FA website)
• Q&A Laws of the Game (AskTheRef.com)
• Archives of the IFAB from Soccer South Bay Referee Association; includes minutes of meetings deciding on changes to the Laws of the Game