To the national associations

of FIFA

________________________

 

 

 

Circular n° 750

 

 

 

 

 

Zurich, 10 April 2001

GS/gcu

 

 

Amendments to the Laws of the Game 2001

 

 

Dear General Secretary,

 

The 115th Annual Meeting of the International Football Association Board was held in Edinburgh, Scotland on 10th March 2001. The amendments to the Laws of the Game and various instructions and directives are listed below.

 

 

1. AMENDMENTS TO THE LAWS OF THE GAME

 

Notes on the Laws of the Game

 

New text:

 

Modifications

 

Subject to the agreement of the nationals associations 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, for veteran footballers (over 35 years) and for players with disabilities.

 

Reason:

 

This change recognises the large number of players with disabilities who play football and permits appropriate modifications to the Laws to enable them to take part in officially organised competitions.


 

 

 

 

Law 3 - The Number of Players

 

New text:

 

Decisions of the International FA Board

 

Decision 2

 

A team official may convey tactical instructions to the players during the match and must return to his position after doing so. All team officials must remain within the confines of the technical area, where such an area is provided, and they must behave in a responsible manner.

 

Reason:

 

The new text recognises that tactical instructions may be given by different team officials during the match provided the person returns to his or her position after giving these instructions and behaves in a responsible manner. The statement that the team official must return immediately to his or her position has been removed.

 

Law 12 – Fouls and Misconduct

 

New text:

 

Indirect free kick

 

Delete bullet point 5

 

·         wastes time

 

Decisions of the International FA Board

 

Decision 3

 

Delete the final paragraph:

 

The goalkeeper is considered to be guilty of time-wasting if he holds the ball in his hands or arms for more than 5-6 seconds.

 

Reason:

 

Both texts are no longer necessary because of the alteration to Law 12 in 2000 which stated that a goalkeeper is permitted to control the ball with his hands or arms for up to six seconds

 


 

 

 

 

Disciplinary Sanctions

 

New text:

 

Only a player or substitute or substituted player may be shown the red or yellow card.

 

Reason:

 

This clarifies the use of the red and yellow cards.

 

Sending Off Offences

 

To be added after Sending Off Offence No.7:

 

A player who has been sent off must leave the vicinity of the field of play and the technical area.

 

Reason:

 

This clarifies the situation for players who have been sent off.

 

Decisions of the International F.A. Board

 

Decision 1

 

Delete. The decisions 2 to 6 became decisions 1 to 5 respectively.

 

Reason:

 

This confirms the sanction to be taken, as stated in the Question and Answers Book on the Laws of the Game, when an object is thrown at an opponent from a distance.

 

KICKS FROM THE PENALTY MARK

 

New title:

 

Procedures to Determine the Winner of a Match

 

The Golden Goal and taking kicks from the penalty mark are methods of determining the winning team where competition rules require there to be a winning team after a match has been drawn.

 

The Golden Goal

 

Procedure

 

·         During the period of extra time played at the end of normal playing time, the team which scores the first goal is declared the winner.

 

·         If no goals are scored the match is decided by kicks from the penalty mark


 

 

 

 

Kicks from the Penalty Mark

 

Procedure

 

Text remains unchanged.

 

Reason:

 

To formally recognise the approval by the International F.A. Board of the Golden Goal as one of the possible procedures to determine the winner of a match.

 

2. INFORMATION, INSTRUCTIONS AND DIRECTIVES

 

Holding and Pulling

 

The International FA Board expressed its concern at the amount of holding and pulling which was prevalent in football today. It recognised that not every instance of holding and pulling of jerseys and shorts was unsporting behaviour, as is also the case with deliberate handball. It expressed regret, however, that referees were not applying the Laws fully in dealing with blatant cases of holding and pulling and issued the following Mandatory Instruction:

 

Referees are instructed that, in the case of blatant holding and pulling, the offence must be sanctioned by a direct free kick, or a penalty kick if the offence is committed inside the penalty area, and the player must be cautioned for unsporting behaviour.

 

Treatment of Injured Players

 

The Board considered the problems caused by injuries to players. It was of the opinion that referees should allow players to return to the field of play as soon as possible after they have recovered from injury. In this respect, and in the case of players returning from treatment for a bleeding injury, referees may be assisted by the fourth official, where one has been appointed to the match.

 

The Board also expressed its concern at the loss of playing time caused by the assessment of injuries to players and their removal from the field of play. The safety of the players must always be the main priority, however referees are instructed to add the full amount of time lost for these and any other reasons at the end of each period of play.


 

 

 

 

3. Experiments to the Laws of the Game

 

Two referees

 

The Board, having monitored the experiment of using of two referees in a number of federations, decided to end the experiment.

 

9.15metre Advancement

 

The Board received reports from the Football Association and from the Scottish Football Association about the experiment of advancing play by 9.15 metres towards the centre of the opposing goal where a player failed to respect the required distance, delayed the restart of play by carrying, throwing or kicking the ball away, showed dissent by word or action or indulged in any other form of unsporting behaviour.

It agreed that the experiment should continue for another year with an amendment to the current experiment to cease the advancement of play at the penalty area line.

 

Advertising

 

The Board noted with concern that its decision taken on 4th March 1995 prohibiting advertising and club logos on goal nets and corner flags, was not being respected. Such advertising or publicity is not permitted in the Laws of the Game and FIFA was asked to take action against clubs which do not respect these instruction.

 

Celebration of a Goal

 

The Board recognised that the celebration of a goal was an important and emotional part of football and relaxed the earlier statement in FIFA Circular 579 of 23rd January 1996 that any player removing their jersey when celebrating a goal should be cautioned.

Players will no longer be cautioned if they remove their shirt but they will be cautioned for unsporting behaviour if their celebrations are provocative and intended to incite or ridicule opponents or opposing spectators. Players guilty of excessive time-wasting while celebrating a goal will also be cautioned.

 

Players wearing spectacles

 

Sympathy was expressed for players, especially young players, who need to wear spectacles. It was accepted that new technology had made sports spectacles much safer, both for the player himself and for other players.

While the referee has the final decision on the safety of players’ equipment, the Board expects that they will take full account of modern technology and the improved safety features of spectacle design when making their decision.


 

 

 

 

Artificial Surfaces

 

The Board was pleased to note the major developments taking place in artificial playing surfaces and the introduction of the FIFA Quality Concept for Artificial Turf. FIFA stated that there was great interest in the introduction of these surfaces both for climatic reasons and for use in enclosed all seated stadia.

Artificial surfaces are already permitted for qualifying matches in the 2002 FIFA World CupTM and Olympic Football Tournaments.

 

The amendments to the Laws take effect from 1st July 2001 and other instructions and directives from the Board are introduced with immediate effect.

 

We thank you for your attention to the foregoing.

 

Yours faithfully,

FEDERATION INTERNATIONALE

DE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION

 

 

 

Michel Zen-Ruffinen

General Secretary

 

 

cc:       FIFA Executive Committee

            FIFA Referees' Committee

            FIFA referees and assistant referees

            FIFA referee instructors

            Confederations