Whenever you log into OKBET to make a bet, you may have tried looking into the football market at some point. You might have even made a bet on a team you’re slightly familiar with despite not fully understanding how football rules affect the game.
There’s no better time to get into association football than today. The world just witnessed one of the most incredible World Cup final in recent memory. Moreover, Europe’s top leagues have all of the fantastic players that amazed the crowds that visited Qatar.
You should do three things if you find the Beautiful Game as fascinating as the rest of the world. One is to find a league to focus on. Second: pick a team that you’ll support. The final thing is to learn how football rules work.
This article will dissect some of the essential rules you need to know if you want to start betting on football games! Game knowledge will also introduce you to a world of passion that’s unlike anything you’ve ever experienced!
The Game’s Objectives
The objective of a football match is straightforward. Bring the ball that starts at the center of the pitch past your opponents and into their goal. This must be done while preventing your opponents from scoring on your own goal.
Any part of the body can be used to score goals. However, players cannot use their hands and arms to control the ball. Only goalkeepers are allowed to handle the ball within their penalty boxes.
Possession will immediately be awarded to the opposing team if a player commits a handball violation. A penalty kick (a spot kick in front of the goal) will be awarded if the handball violation was done in the player’s own penalty box.
On-Field Personnel
Association football, called soccer in the United States and the Philippines, has eleven players per team playing on the pitch at any given time. Each team usually fields one goalkeeper and ten outfield players.
As the game developed, players became proficient in playing specific areas of the pitch. The birth of specialized positions can be generalized into three groups: defenders, midfielders, and attackers.
Goalkeepers are the team’s final line of defense and stop goals from going in. Defenders are positioned higher up the pitch and are tasked with stopping the ball from preventing the ball from approaching their goalpost.
Midfielders orchestrate the team’s attack by bringing the ball toward the opposing goal and making passes that cut through the opposing defense. Attackers take and convert the scoring chances created by the midfielders.
Teams are free to field whichever combinations of defenders, midfielders, and attackers will join the goalkeeper on the pitch. It’s plausible that a manager can field a team of only defenders and midfielders.
However, teams eventually found the perfect ratio of players: one goalie, 3-5 defenders, 3-5 midfielders, and 1-3 attackers.
Substitutions
If you’re a huge basketball fan, you’re probably used to seeing players enter and leave the game regularly. It’s expected in a sport where players always have to be at full speed.
Football rules also allow substitutions, but there are slight differences. Once a player is subbed out of the game, they aren’t allowed to come back in.
Moreover, teams were only allowed to make three substitutions per game. However, the COVID pandemic introduced five substitutions into the game. These changes have since been implemented into the Laws of Game and will apply to Europe’s top leagues.
Offsides Rule
This rule is one of the most contested ones in the sport. After all, fans of the game can easily number instances championships and tournaments were won and lost because of the offside rule.
A player will be called offside if any part of a player’s head, body, or feet is slightly ahead of the second-to-the-last opponent in the opposing half. The linesman in charge of the opposing half will be the official who’ll make the call, but the video assistant referee (VAR) has been introduced to make more accurate calls.
Fouls and Discipline
Fouls are committed when a player does something that gives his team an unfair advantage, disrupts the flow of the game, or goes against the rules. Examples of fouls are physically tripping an opponent or a player taking off their shirt to celebrate a goal.
Depending on the severity of the foul, the referee may list a player in one of two cards. Yellow cards serve as a warning for the player to clean up their act. A second yellow card will disqualify them from playing.
Meanwhile, a straight red card means that the player did one of several things. Offenses punishable by a red card include the following:
- Injuring with the intent of injuring their opponents.
- Blatantly disrespecting game officials.
- Inciting violent behavior on the pitch.
Red cards immediately eject the offending player from the game. Subsequent suspensions are also in the cards.
Learn More Football Rules to Enjoy Watching Football
These are only some rules in the Beautiful Game’s comprehensive rule book. It may seem like a sensory overload, but these rulings make the game unique and fun to watch.
The abovementioned rules will help you better understand what’s happening on the pitch. Watch this space for more friendly breakdowns of football rules!
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