Introduction 

Football is the greatest sport in the world. More than 190 countries play football internationally by maintaining the rules and regulations of FIFA. During the 19th century, football was first played. It’s an outdoor game. But, in 1930, indoor football was created in Uruguay. A teacher from Montevideo named Juan Carlos Ceriani created this version of football.The word futsal came from a short version of a spanish word, “fútbol de salón” which means “Indoor Football”. Futsal and football have many differences and many similarities also. In this article, we will describe the basic rules of football and futsal and more importantly the key differences between them. 

Basic Rules of Football

Field : Football is played in a rectangular shaped field where the length  is between 90 to 110 meter and width is between 45 to 90 meter. (90-110 x 45-90)

Goal Post: There are two goalposts facing each other at the end of the goal lines. This goalpost is situated in the middle of the goal line. The goal line of the goalpost is 7.32 meters long having a crossbar transversely above it which makes it 2.44 meter high.

Players : Football is played between two teams. Each team has to have 11 players. There must be a team captain and a goalkeeper among them. A team can’t play if the number of players is below 7. 

Football : The football has to be round and the circumference must be 68 to 70 cm.

Match Duration : The match has to be played 90 minutes without the additional time. The match is divided into 1st half and 2nd half, more specifically 90 minutes = 45 + 45 minutes. An additional time will be added at the end of each 45 minutes. After the additional time of the 1st half, there will be a break that is not greater than 15 minutes. 

Let’s say there are 2 teams, team A and team B. It will be easier to understand.

Throw in : If the football goes outside the field having the last touch of a player of team A, a player from team B has to throw the ball in the field to continue the match. This applies also if the football goes outside the field having the last touch of a player of team B, a player from team A will throw in the ball.

Corner : If the football goes outside the goal line ( not the goaline of the goalpost) of team A having the last touch of the player of team A , team B will be given a corner kick at the corner of the goal line of team A. There are two corner kick sides. If the ball goes outside the goal line in the left of the goalpost, then the corner kick will be taken from the left corner. And if it goes from the right side of the goalpost, the corner kick will be taken from the right corner. Same goes with the goaline of team B

 Fouls ( Yellow or Red Card) : If the players of team A break any rules, the referee will call it a foul and if the foul is very serious, the referee can show the player a yellow or red card. Getting two yellow cards will result in a red card. If one gets a red card, he will be out of the whole match and the next match. Card is given in  accusation of bad behavior also. A referee can show cards to the coaches also.

Free Kicks : When a player fouls, the opposing team gets a free kick. There are two types of free kicks, Indirect and Direct. When the foul is not serious, the opposing team will get an indirect free kick which doesn’t allow scoring directly from the free kick. But, when one fouls an opposing player seriously, the opposing team will get a direct free kick which allows scoring goal directly from the free kick.

Penalty : If a foul occurs in the D Box of team A where the players of team A foul the player of team B, the referee will give a penalty kick to team B. It’s a kick directly kicked to the goalpost where only the goalkeeper can defend the shot.

Basic Rules of Futsal

Field : It’s played in a rectangular shaped field. The futsal field is between 38 to 42 meter in length and  between 20 to 25 meter in width. (38-42 x 20-25)

Goal Posts : There are two goalposts facing each other as same as the football goal posts. But the goaline of the goalpost is 3 meter long and 2 meter high with the crossbar transversely above it.

Players : Each team can play with 5 players and can have multiple substitute players. If the team player number is less than 4, the team can’t continue the game.

Futsal Ball : The ball has to be round and the size must not exceed 62cm to 64 cm in circumference.

Match Duration : The match duration is 40 minutes divided into two halves. After 20 minutes each halves ends but no additional time is added. There is a 15 minute break between two halves. The clock is stopped for all dead ball (When the ball is unplayable due to foul or something else) 

Kick In : If the football goes outside the field having the last touch of a player of team A, a player from team B has to kick the ball into the field to continue the match . In football it’s called throw in because the player needs to throw in the ball by using his hands and in futsal its kick in because the player needs to kick the ball into the field to restart the match. 

Corner Kick : If the ball passes the goalline ( Not the goaline of the goalpost) of team A having the last touch of the player of team A, team B will be given a corner. There are two corners. If the ball goes outside the field from the left side, the corner kick will be taken from the left corner and if it’s right then the corner will be taken from the right corner.

Fouls (Yellow and Red Cards) : If a player breaks any rules, the referee can call it a foul. If a player fouls or misbehaves badly, the referee can show him a yellow card or red card. Two yellow cards results in a red card. If a player gets a red card, he will be sent off and can’t be replaced. But the team plays two full  minutes with 4 players or until a goal is scored. After two minutes or a goal is scored, the team can substitute  the player who gets the red cards.

Free Kick : If a player makes a less severe foul, the referee will give the opposing team an indirect free kick which doesn’t allow a direct goal from the free kick. But if the foul is severe, the referee will give the opposing team a direct free kick which allows a direct goal from  the free kick. But there will be no wall. A team can accumulate fouls and if the number of fouls reaches 5 fouls (Can vary) , the referee can give the team a direct free kick that allows a direct goal and the opposing team can’t make a wall against this kick.

Penalty : If a team fouls an opposing player in their own penalty box, the referee will give the opposing team a  penalty kick.

Football vs Futsal

Conclusion 

Football and futsal are really popular right now. Like football, FIFA also organizes the Futsal World Cup and other global tournaments. More importantly, many landlords earn by building an indoor futsal stadium and let others play in exchange for    money. Futsal is practiced in many schools and colleges. It not only increases the popularity of itself but also the popularity of football. That;s why we should know the rules and key differences between football and futsal.