FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game

Preliminaries

A coin is tossed and the team that wins the toss decides which goal it will attack in the first half of the match. The other team takes the kick-off to start the match. The team that wins the toss takes the kick-off to start the second half of the match. In the second half of the match, the teams change ends and attack the opposite goals.

Kick-off

A kick-off is a way of starting or restarting play:

• at the start of the match
• after a goal has been scored
• at the start of the second half of the match
• at the start of each period of extra time, where applicable

A goal may not be scored directly from the kick-off.

Procedure

• all players must be in their own half of the pitch
• the opponents of the team taking the kick-off are at least 3 m from the ball until it is in play
• the ball must be stationary on the centre mark
• the referee gives a signal
• the ball is in play when it is kicked and moves forward

After a team scores a goal, provided that the period has not ended, the kick-off is taken by the other team. 

Infringements and sanctions

If the ball is in play and the player taking the kick-off touches the ball again (except with his hands) before it has touched another player:

• an indirect free kick is awarded to the opposing team, to be taken from the position of the ball when the infringement occurred (see Law 13 - Position of free kick)

If the ball is in play and the player taking the kick-off deliberately handles the ball before it has touched another player:

• an indirect free kick is awarded to the opposing team, to be taken from the position of the ball when the infringement occurred (see Law 13 - Position of free kick) and his team is sanctioned with an accumulated foul

In the event of any other infringement of the kick-off procedure:

• the kick-off is retaken and the advantage cannot be applied

Dropped ball

If, while the ball is still in play, the referees are required to stop play temporarily for any reason not mentioned elsewhere in the Futsal Laws of the Game, the match is restarted with a dropped ball. The match is also restarted with a dropped ball when provided for in the Futsal Laws of the Game.

Procedure

The referee or second referee drops the ball from the position of the ball when play was stopped, unless play was stopped inside the penalty area, in which case one of the referees drops the ball on the penalty area line at the point nearest to where the ball was located when play was stopped. Play restarts when the ball touches the ground within the boundaries of the pitch. If the ball leaves the pitch after it makes contact with the ground, without a player touching it after being in play, the ball is dropped at the same point where it was dropped the first time.

Infringements and sanctions

The ball is dropped again at the same place where it was dropped the first time:

• if it is touched by a player before it makes contact with the ground
• if any infringement is committed before the ball makes contact with the ground

If the ball enters the goal directly after touching the ground and subsequently being played or touched by a player:

• if the ball is kicked directly into the opponent’s goal, a goal clearance is awarded
• if the ball is kicked directly into the team’s own goal, a corner kick is awarded