Soccer

Laws of
the Game
2012/2013

Fédération Internationale de Football Association
President:

Joseph S. Blatter

Secretary General:

Jérôme Valcke

Address:

FIFA
FIFA-Strasse 20
P.O. Box
8044 Zurich
Switzerland

Telephone:

+41-(0)43-222 7777

Fax:

+41-(0)43-222 7878

Internet:

www.FIFA.com

Laws of
the Game
2012/2013

Authorised by the International FootballAssociation Board
This booklet may not be reproduced or translated in whole
or in part in any manner without the permission of FIFA.
Published by Fédération Internationale de Football Association
FIFA-Strasse 20, 8044 Zurich, Switzerland

2

FÉDÉRATION INTERNATIONALE DE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION
President:
Joseph S. Blatter (Switzerland)
Secretary General: Jérôme Valcke (France)
Address:FIFA-Strasse 20
P.O. Box
8044 Zurich
Switzerland
Telephone:
+41 (0)43 222 7777
Telefax:
+41 (0)43 222 7878
Internet:
www.FIFA.com

INTERNATIONAL FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION BOARD (IFAB)
Members:

The Football Association
The Scottish Football Association
The Football Association of Wales
Irish Football Association
(1 vote each)
Fédération Internationale
de Football Association (FIFA)(4 votes)

Next meeting of the International Football Association Board:
Scotland, 1-3 March 2013

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NOTES ON THE LAWS OF THE GAME
Modifications
Subject to the agreement of the member association concerned and provided
the principles of these Laws are maintained, the Laws may be modified in
their application for matches for players of under 16 years of age, for women
footballers, forveteran footballers (over 35 years of age) and for players with
disabilities.
Any or all of the following modifications are permissible:
• size of the field of play
• size, weight and material of the ball
• width between the goalposts and height of the crossbar from the ground
• duration of the periods of play
• substitutions
Further modifications are only allowed with the consent of theInternational
Football Association Board.
Male and Female
References to the male gender in the Laws of the Game in respect of referees,
assistant referees, players and officials are for simplification and apply to both
men and women.
Official languages
On behalf of the International Football Association Board, FIFA publishes the
Laws of the Game in English, French, German and Spanish. If thereis any
divergence in the wording, the English text is authoritative.
Key
A single line in the left-hand margin indicates new Law changes.

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CONTENTS

Page
6
15
17
21
24
28
29
30
33
34
35
36
40
44
48
50
52
54
56
57
59
134

Law
1 – The Field of Play
2 – The Ball
3 – The Number of Players
4 – The Players’ Equipment
5 – The Referee
6 – The Assistant Referees7 – The Duration of the Match
8 – The Start and Restart of Play
9 – The Ball In and Out of Play
10 – The Method of Scoring
11 – Offside
12 – Fouls and Misconduct
13 – Free Kicks
14 – The Penalty Kick
15 – The Throw-in
16 – The Goal Kick
17 – The Corner Kick
Procedures to Determine the Winner of a Match
or Home-and-Away
The Technical Area
The Fourth Official and the Reserve AssistantReferee
Interpretation of the Laws of the Game and
Guidelines for Referees
Rules of the International Football Association Board

5

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LAW 1 – THE FIELD OF PLAY

Field surface
Matches may be played on natural or artificial surfaces, according to the rules
of the competition.
The colour of artificial surfaces must be green.
Where artificial surfaces are used in either competitionmatches between
representative teams of member associations affiliated to FIFA or international
club competition matches, the surface must meet the requirements of the FIFA
Quality Concept for Football Turf or the International Artificial Turf Standard,
unless special dispensation is given by FIFA.
Field markings
The field of play must be rectangular and marked with lines. These lines belong
to...