Futsal

Futsal
Highest governing body	FIFA and AMF
First played	1930
Characteristics
Contact	Yes
Team members	Five per side
Type	Indoor
Equipment	Futsal ball
Venue	Futsal pitch
Presence
Olympic	No
Paralympic	No

Futsal (Portuguese pronunciation: [futsal]) is a variant of association football that is played on a smaller pitch and mainly played indoors. Its name is a portmanteau of the Portuguese futebol de salão, which can be translated as "hall football". During the sport's second world championships held in Madrid in 1985, the Spanish name fútbol sala was used. Since then, all other names have been officially and internationally changed to futsal. It was developed in Brazil and Uruguay in the 1930s and 1940s as a solution to the lack of available football fields. In Brazil futsal is played by more people than football but does not attract as many spectators as the outdoor sport. Several futsal players have moved on to careers as successful professional football players.^[1]

Futsal is a game played between two teams of five players each, one of whom is the goalkeeper. Unlimited substitutions are permitted. Unlike some other forms of indoor football, the game is played on a hard court surface delimited by lines; walls or boards are not used. Futsal is also played with a smaller ball with less bounce than a regular football due to the surface of the pitch.^[2] The surface, ball and rules create an emphasis on improvisation, creativity and technique as well as ball control and passing in small spaces.^[3]

Rules

As international governing bodies of futsal, FIFA and Asociación Mundial de Fútbol de Salón (AMF) are responsible for maintaining and promulgating the official rules of their respective versions of futsal. FIFA publishes its futsal rules as the 'Laws of the Game', in which each of the 17 'laws' is a thematically related collection of individual regulations. The laws define all aspects of the game, including what may be changed to suit local competitions and leagues.^[4]

Players, equipment and officials

The Brazil national futsal team line up before a match.

There are five players on each team, one of whom is the goalkeeper. The maximum number of substitutes allowed is nine (FIFA change 2012), with unlimited substitutions during the match. Substitutes can come on even when the ball is in play but the player coming off must leave the pitch before the substitute can enter the playing field.^[5] If a team has fewer than three players in the team, the match is abandoned and counted as a loss for the team with the lack of players.^[6]

The kit is made up of a jersey or shirt with sleeves, shorts, socks, shinguards made out of rubber or plastic, and shoes with rubber soles. The goalkeeper is allowed to wear long trousers and a different coloured kit, to distinguish himself from the other players in the team and the referee. He is also allowed to wear elbow pads because the surface is about as hard as a tennis court or basketball court. Jewellery is not allowed, nor are other items that could be dangerous to the player wearing the item or to other active participants.^[7]

The match is controlled by the referee, who enforces the Laws of the Game, and the first referee is the only one who can legally abandon the match because of interference from outside the pitch. This referee is also assisted by a second referee who typically watches over the goal lines or assists the primary referee with calls on fouls or plays. The decisions made by the referees are final and can only be changed if the referees think it is necessary and play has not restarted.^[8] There is also a third referee and a timekeeper, who are provided with equipment to keep a record of fouls in the match. In the event of injury to the referee or second referee, the third referee will replace the second referee.^[9]

The pitch

The pitch is made up of wood or artificial material, or similar surface, although any flat, smooth and non-abrasive material may be used. The length of the pitch is in the range of 38–42 m (42–46 yd), and the width is in the range of 20–25 m (22-27 yd) in international matches. For other matches, it can be 25–42 m (27–46 yd) in length, while the width can be 16–25 m (17-27 yd), as long as the length of the longer boundary lines (touchlines) are greater than the shorter boundaries where the goals are placed (goal lines). The "standard" size court for an international is 40 m × 20 m (44 yd × 22 yd).^[10] The ceiling must be at least 4 m (4 yd) high.^[11] A rectangular goal is positioned at the middle of each goal line. The inner edges of the vertical goal posts must be 3 m (3 yd) apart, and the lower edge of the horizontal crossbar supported by the goal posts must be 2 m (2.2 yd) above the ground. Nets made of hemp, jute or nylon are attached to the back of the goalposts and crossbar. The lower part of the nets is attached to curved tubing or another suitable means of support. The depth of the goal is 80 cm (31 in) at the top and 1 m (3.3 ft) at the bottom.^[12]

In front of each goal is an area known as the penalty area. This area is created by drawing quarter-circles with a 6 m (7 yd) radius from the goal line, centred on the goalposts. The upper part of each quarter-circle is then joined by a 3.16 m (3.46 yd) line running parallel to the goal line between the goalposts. The line marking the edge of the penalty area is known as the penalty area line.^[13] The penalty area marks where the goalkeeper is allowed to touch the ball with his hands. The penalty mark is six metres from the goal line when it reaches the middle of the goalposts. The second penalty mark is 10 metres (11 yd) from the goal line when it reaches the middle of the goalposts. A penalty kick from the penalty spot is awarded if a player commits a foul inside the penalty area.^[14] The second penalty spot is used if a player commits his team's sixth foul in the opposing team's half or in his own half in the area bordered by the halfway line and an imaginary line parallel to the halfway line passing through the second penalty mark; the free kick is taken from the second penalty mark.^[15]

Any standard team handball pitch can be used for futsal, including goals and floor markings.

Duration and tie-breaking methods

A standard match consists of two equal periods of 20 minutes. The length of either half is extended to allow penalty kicks to be taken or a direct free kick to be taken against a team that has committed more than five fouls. The interval between the two halves cannot exceed 15 minutes.^[16]

In some competitions, the game cannot end in a draw, so away goals, extra time and penalties are the three methods for determining the winner after a match has been drawn. Away goals mean that if the team's score is level after playing one home and one away game, the goals scored in the away match count as double. Extra time consists of two periods of five minutes. If no winner is produced after these methods, five penalties are taken, and the team that has scored the most wins. If it is not decided after five penalties, it continues to go on with one extra penalty to each team at a time until one of them has scored more goals than the other. Unlike extra time, the goals scored in a penalty shoot-out do not count towards the goals scored throughout the match.^[17]

The start and restart of play

At the beginning of the match, a coin toss is used to decide who will start the match. A kick-off is used to signal the start of play and is also used at the start of the second half and any periods of extra time. It is also used after a goal has been scored, with the other team starting the play.^[18] After a temporary stoppage for any reason not mentioned in the Laws of the Game, the referee will drop the ball where the play was stopped, provided that, prior to the stoppage, the ball was in play and had not crossed either the touch lines or goal lines.^[19]

If the ball goes over the goal line or touchline, hits the ceiling, or the play is stopped by the referee, the ball is out of play. If it hits the ceiling of an indoor arena, play is restarted with a kick-in to the opponents of the team that last touched the ball, under the place where it hit the ceiling.^[11]

Lack of offside rule

Unlike football, there is no offside rule in futsal. Attackers can get much closer to the goal than they can in the traditional outdoor version of football.

Misconduct

A direct free kick can be awarded to the opposing team if a player succeeds or attempts to kick or trip an opponent, jumps, charges or pushes an opponent, or strikes or attempts to strike an opponent. Holding, touching or spitting at an opponent are offenses that are worthy of a direct free kick, as are sliding in to play the ball while an opponent is playing it or carrying, striking or throwing the ball (except the goalkeeper). These are all accumulated fouls. The direct free kick is taken where the infringement occurred, unless it is awarded to the defending team in their penalty area, in which case the free kick may be taken from anywhere inside the penalty area.^[20] A penalty kick is awarded if a player commits one of the fouls that are worthy of a direct free kick inside his own penalty area. The position of the ball does not matter as long as it is in play but for a penalty kick, the ball must be on the outer line, perpendicular to the centre of the net.^[21]

An indirect free kick is awarded to the opposing team if a goalkeeper clears the ball but then touches it with his hands before anyone else, if he controls the ball with his hands when it has been kicked to him by a teammate, or if he touches or controls the ball with his hands or feet in his own half for more than four seconds.^[21] An indirect free kick is also awarded to the opposing team if a player plays in a dangerous manner, deliberately obstructs an opponent, prevents the goalkeeper from throwing the ball with his hands or anything else for which play is stopped to caution or dismiss a player. The indirect free kick is taken from the place where the infringement occurred.^[21]

Yellow and red cards are both used in futsal. The yellow card is to caution players over their actions, and, if they get two, they are given a red card, which means they are sent off the field. A yellow card is shown if a player shows unsporting behaviour, dissent, persistent infringement of the Laws of the Game, delaying the restart of play, failing to respect the distance of the player from the ball when play is being restarted, infringement of substitution procedure or entering, re-entering and leaving the pitch without the referee's permission.^[22] A player is shown the red card and sent off if they engage in serious foul play, violent conduct, spitting at another person, or denying the opposing team a goal by handling the ball (except the goalkeeper inside his penalty area). Also punishable with a red card is denying an opponent moving towards the player's goal a goalscoring opportunity by committing an offence punishable by a free kick or a penalty kick and using offensive, insulting or abusive language or gestures.^[22] A player who has been sent off must leave the vicinity of the pitch. A substitute player is permitted to come on two minutes after a teammate has been sent off, unless a goal is scored before the end of the two minutes. If a team with more players scores against a team with fewer players, another player can be added to the team with an inferior number of players. If the teams are equal when the goal is scored or if the team with fewer players scores, both teams remain with the same number of players.^[23]

Ranking

Men's ranking

As of December 23, 2013, the top 25 teams according to the ELO-based rankings are:^[24]

#	Team	Points
1	Spain	1975
2	Brazil	1946
3	Italy	1757
4	Russia	1725
5	Portugal	1616
6	Iran	1589
7	Argentina	1586
8	Ukraine	1468
9	Paraguay	1407
10	Japan	1396
11	Romania	1377
12	Colombia	1372
13	Azerbaijan	1349
13	Thailand	1349
15	Slovenia	1339
16	Croatia	1336
17	Czech Republic	1328
18	Serbia	1300
19	Guatemala	1255
20	Uzbekistan	1248
21	Netherlands	1244
22	Australia	1243
23	Slovakia	1230
24	Uruguay	1229
25	Costa Rica	1223

As of May 7, 2012, the top 25 teams according to a ranking based partly on the ELO system and partly on a form-based system are:^[25]

#	Team	Points
1	Brazil	2401
2	Spain	2395
3	Italy	2288
4	Russia	2277
5	Portugal	2250
6	Argentina	2239
7	Paraguay	2197
8	Ukraine	2197
9	Iran	2176
10	Colombia	2174
11	Serbia	2157
12	Azerbaijan	2126
13	Uruguay	2108
14	Croatia	2107
15	Czech Republic	2102
16	Romania	2097
17	Guatemala	2089
18	Japan	2075
19	Slovenia	2048
20	Slovakia	2046
21	Hungary	2039
22	Belarus	2033
23	Netherlands	2031
24	Libya	2021
25	Cuba	2009

Women's ranking

As of May 7, 2012, according to a ranking based partly on the ELO system and partly on a form-based system, the top 10 teams are:^[26]

#	Team	Points
1	Brazil	2326
2	Spain	2248
3	Portugal	2172
4	Russia	2019
5	Ukraine	2014
6	Japan	1963
7	Guatemala	1934
8	Netherlands	1911
9	Australia	1888
10	Argentina	1876

FIFA competitions

Men's national teams

National

Competition	Year	City	Country	Winner	Runner-up	3rd	4th
FIFA Futsal World Cups	1989	Rotterdam	Netherlands	Brazil	Netherlands	United States	Belgium
	1992	Hong Kong	Hong Kong	Brazil	United States	Spain	Iran
	1996	Barcelona	Spain	Brazil	Spain	Russia	Ukraine
	2000	Guatemala City	Guatemala	Spain	Brazil	Portugal	Russia
	2004	Taipei City	Chinese Taipei	Spain	Italy	Brazil	Argentina
	2008	Rio de Janeiro	Brazil	Brazil	Spain	Italy	Russia
	2012	Bangkok	Thailand	Brazil	Spain	Italy	Colombia
	2016	Bogota	Colombia
Al-Fateh Confederations Futsal Cup	2009	Tripoli	Libya	Iran	Uruguay	Libya	Guatemala
Mediterranean Futsal Cup	2010	Tripoli	Libya	Croatia	Libya	Slovenia	France
Futsal Mundialito	1994	Milan	Italy	Italy	Croatia	Spain	Hungary
	1995	Rio de Janeiro	Brazil	Brazil	Italy	Spain	United States
	1996	Rio de Janeiro	Brazil	Brazil	Paraguay	Argentina	United States
	1998	Rio de Janeiro	Brazil	Brazil	Argentina	United States	Italy
	2001	Joinville	Brazil	Brazil	Argentina	Portugal	Czech Republic
	2002	Reggio Calabria	Italy	Brazil	Italy	Russia	Argentina
	2006	Algarve	Portugal	Portugal	Croatia	Angola	Mozambique
	2007	Algarve	Portugal	Portugal	Slovakia	Hungary	Croatia
	2008	Algarve	Portugal	Portugal	Hungary	Angola	Libya
Grand Prix de Futsal	2005	Brusque, Santa Catarina	Brazil	Brazil	Colombia	Argentina	Uruguay
	2006	Caxias do Sul	Brazil	Brazil	Italy	Croatia	Argentina
	2007	Joinville & Lages & Jaraguá do Sul	Brazil	Brazil	Iran	Argentina	Hungary
	2008	Fortaleza	Brazil	Brazil	Argentina	Ukraine	Paraguay
	2009	Anápolis & Goiânia	Brazil	Brazil	Iran	Romania	Czech Republic
	2010	Anápolis	Brazil	Spain	Brazil	Paraguay	Iran
	2011	Manaus	Brazil	Brazil	Russia	Argentina	Iran
	2013	Maringá	Brazil	Brazil	Russia	Iran	Paraguay
Arab Futsal Championship	1998	Cairo	Egypt	Egypt	Morocco	Libya	Palestine
	2005	Cairo	Egypt	Egypt	Morocco	Lebanon	Libya
	2007	Tripoli	Libya	Libya	Egypt	Lebanon	Morocco
	2008	Port Said	Egypt	Libya	Egypt	Jordan	Lebanon

Continental (major)

Continental	Year	Country	Winner	Runner-up	3rd	4th
Africa (CAF)	1996	Egypt	Egypt	Ghana	Zimbabwe	Somalia
	2000	Egypt	Egypt	Morocco	Libya	South Africa
	2004	Egypt	Egypt	Mozambique	Morocco
	2008	Libya	Libya	Egypt	Morocco	Mozambique
Asia (AFC)	1999	Malaysia	Iran	South Korea	Kazakhstan	Japan
	2000	Thailand	Iran	Kazakhstan	Thailand	Japan
	2001	Iran	Iran	Uzbekistan	South Korea	Japan
	2002	Indonesia	Iran	Japan	Thailand	South Korea
	2003	Iran	Iran	Japan	Thailand	Kuwait
	2004	Macau	Iran	Japan	Thailand	Uzbekistan
	2005	Vietnam	Iran	Japan	Uzbekistan	Kyrgyzstan
	2006	Uzbekistan	Japan	Uzbekistan	Iran	Kyrgyzstan
	2007	Japan	Iran	Japan	Uzbekistan	Kyrgyzstan
	2008	Thailand	Iran	Thailand	Japan	China
	2010	Uzbekistan	Iran	Uzbekistan	Japan	China
	2012	United Arab Emirates	Japan	Thailand	Iran	Australia
	2014	Vietnam
Europe (UEFA)	1996	Spain	Spain	Russia	Belgium	Italy
	1999	Spain	Russia	Spain	Italy	Netherlands
	2001	Russia	Spain	Ukraine	Russia	Italy
	2003	Italy	Italy	Ukraine	Spain	Czech Republic
	2005	Czech Republic	Spain	Russia	Italy	Ukraine
	2007	Portugal	Spain	Italy	Russia	Portugal
	2010	Hungary	Spain	Portugal	Czech Republic	Azerbaijan
	2012	Croatia	Spain	Russia	Italy	Croatia
	2014	Belgium
North American and Central American (CONCACAF)	1996	Guatemala	United States	Cuba	Mexico	Guatemala
	2000	Costa Rica	Costa Rica	Cuba	United States	Mexico
	2004	Costa Rica	United States	Cuba	Costa Rica	Mexico
	2008	Guatemala	Guatemala	Cuba	United States	Panama
	2012	Guatemala	Costa Rica	Guatemala	Panama	Mexico
Oceanian (OFC)	1992	Australia	Australia	Vanuatu	New Zealand
	1996	Vanuatu	Australia	Vanuatu	Fiji	Western Samoa
	1999	Vanuatu	Australia	Fiji	Vanuatu	Papua New Guinea
	2004	Australia	Australia	New Zealand	Vanuatu	Fiji
	2008	Fiji	Solomon Islands	Tahiti	Vanuatu	New Zealand
	2009	Fiji	Solomon Islands	Fiji	Vanuatu	New Caledonia
	2010	Fiji	Solomon Islands	Fiji	New Zealand	Vanuatu
	2011	Fiji	Solomon Islands	Tahiti	New Zealand	Vanuatu
	2013	New Zealand	Australia	Malaysia	New Zealand	Tahiti
South American (CONMEBOL)	1992	Brazil	Brazil	Argentina	Paraguay	Ecuador
	1995	Brazil	Brazil	Argentina	Uruguay	Paraguay
	1996	Brazil	Brazil	Uruguay	Argentina	Paraguay
	1997	Brazil	Brazil	Argentina	Paraguay
	1998	Brazil	Brazil	Paraguay	Uruguay
	1999	Brazil	Brazil	Uruguay	Argentina
	2000	Brazil	Brazil	Argentina	Uruguay	Bolivia
	2003	Paraguay	Argentina	Brazil	Paraguay	Peru
	2008	Uruguay	Brazil	Uruguay	Argentina	Paraguay
	2011	Argentina	Brazil	Argentina	Paraguay	Colombia

Continental (minor)

Africa

North African Futsal Cup

Asia

South America

North and Central America

Central American Games

Clubs

Discontinued tournaments

Women's national teams

International

Competition	Year	Host	Winner	Runner-up	3rd	4th
Women's Futsal World Tournament	2010	Spain	Brazil	Portugal	Russia & Spain
	2011	Brazil	Brazil	Spain	Portugal	Russia
	2012	Portugal	Brazil	Portugal	Spain	Russia
	2013	Spain	Brazil	Spain	Russia	Portugal

Continental

Continental	Year	Host	Winner	Runner-Up	3rd	4th
South American	2005	Brazil	Brazil	Ecuador	Argentina	Uruguay
	2007	Ecuador	Brazil	Colombia	Venezuela	Uruguay
	2009	Brazil	Brazil	Colombia	Venezuela	Peru
	2011	Venezuela	Brazil	Argentina	Paraguay	Venezuela