RULES of the GAME & V.A.R.
THE RULES
Fundamentally it is a simple game. Get the ball into the opposing team’s net more times than they get the ball into your net.
This is the typical layout of a football pitch. The dimensions don’t change from stadium to stadium. The Referee runs up and down the pitch with the flow of the game watching for any infringements or fouls. If a foul is committed, the victim is awarded a free kick. I’m not getting into the technicalities of all the types of free kicks, suffice it to say, that the kicker must be given a space of 10 yards by the opposing team.
If the offense is more severe a yellow card can be shown to the offender. If the same player picks up two yellow cards, he will be shown a red card and sent off for the remainder of the game. A more serious offense can result in an immediate Red Card and the player is sent off with no second chances. Once a player has been sent off, his respective team plays the remainder of the game without replacing him; in other words, they’re playing with only 10 players, to the great advantage of the opposing team.
There are eleven players on each side, and each team is allowed five substitutions over the course of the game. One referee is on the field, two linesmen following the play at each side of the pitch and the VAR (Virtual Assistant Referee). The VAR is just loads of cameras placed around the field watching every movement of those taking part.
The game is divided into two 45-minute halves with a 15-minute break in between. In the past players would get a cup of tea and slices of orange at half-time, these days it’s a little different. They get easily digestible carbohydrate-rich snacks like fruit or small sandwiches, and drink sports drinks, like Gatorade, designed to replenish electrolytes lost through sweat.
The linesmen follow the flow of the game up and down the side lines. Their main function is to award throw-ins and corners. If the ball goes out of play on the side-line, the throw in goes against the team that touched the ball last. The same rule applies to a ball going out of play over the end line. The difference being that if the defending team touches the ball last it becomes a corner kick to the attacking team. If the attacking team has the last touch, it becomes a goal kick for the goalkeeper to put the ball back in play.
If a foul is committed in the penalty area (the larger box around each goal) by the defending team a penalty is awarded, and one player gets to shoot from the penalty spot with only the goalkeeper to stop him. The keeper must not move until the kicker has touched the ball or the shot will be taken again.
These are the traditional numbers and positions of each player. Please note: The illustration shows one team across the whole field. Each team holds these positions on their own side of the field.
Back in the day, before the advent of the Premier League, but even before that, the positions shown above were pretty standard. The goalkeeper was always #1 and wore a green jersey. The #9 was usually a big guy in the middle of the attacking line and #5 was also a big guy in the defending line. One of the forward’s (#9) jobs was to get up high enough to nod in any crosses or corners that were sent his way. The defending (#5) was tasked with combating the threat from the opposing team.
These days every team has a different set-up, the #2 and #3 positions instead of playing purely defense are often used as attacking wingers. That’s only one example of players playing out of position, there are as many other examples as there are teams. Also, the actual numbers have become confusing. There are guys out there playing with a number 47 on their back, and neck, (check out Phil Foden of Manchester City) who looks like he’s playing in a #10 position. Christen Eriksen #14 is a midfielder for Manchester United. Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) is #17 and is one of the best midfielders in the world. And the goalies’ jerseys are represented by any color of the rainbow.
The bottom line is the players’ numbers mean very little anymore.
Offside is a whole other can of worms. Often described as the one of the most difficult-to-understand aspects of the game. In its simplest form the rule states that when the attacking team’s player kicks the ball to the prospective scorer, there must be at least one defender between him and the goal, this does not include the goalkeeper. Therefore there must be at least two defenders, including the goalkeeper, between the scorer and the goal. This ruling can come down to a hair’s breadth, or the tip of the attacker’s boot, extended beyond the last defender. The VAR system helps greatly in this kind of scenario as it can freeze the action at the point of contact and the ruling can be scrutinized by the referee on a TV screen at the side of the pitch. In the few years that VAR has been used, many goals that would have been given have been overturned. Not really sure if that is a positive development or negative. The Offside rule has many subtle nuances which become all too confusing so I’m not going to get into them here. During the course of a game oftentimes a decision will be made by the referee and the two commentators covering the match will have to bring in a referee who is part of the broadcast to explain the decision.
Video Assistant Referee
In the 2019-20 season VAR was introduced. There are cameras set up around the pitch to assist the referee in making the correct decisions in four categories. Goal/no goal, Penalty/no penalty, Direct red card and Mistaken identity in awarding a red or yellow card.
One of the aims of this technology is to create greater accuracy and perhaps speed the game up. The second of these aims certainly has not happened, if anything it has prolonged the game. It is debated whether VAR is a help or a hindrance and a proposal submitted by Wolverhampton Wanderers to abolish the technology is being considered.