SRSport Rules
Football decisions, broken down step by step

Football rules under pressure.

This section is for the moments that make people stop and argue: offside goals, handball shouts, penalties, red cards, and VAR checks. Each topic is set up to show what the referee looks for first, what matters next, and which details usually change the decision.

Browse football topics See major flashpoints
Core topics

Start with the laws people argue about most

These are the calls fans question most often, so they are the best place to learn how a decision is built.

Law 11

Offside

Who was ahead when the ball was played, whether that player joined the move, and whether they blocked, touched, or distracted an opponent.

When position becomes an offence Open page
Law 12

Handball

Where the arm is, whether it moved to the ball, how much time the player had to react, and when ball-to-hand is not a foul.

Why every arm contact is not handball Open page
Law 12

Fouls and Cards

What makes a challenge careless, reckless, or dangerous, and how referees decide between no card, yellow, and red.

Contact, danger, and punishment Open page
Law 13

Direct and Indirect Free Kicks

What the raised arm means, when a goal can be scored directly, how own-goal restarts work, and why quick free kicks are allowed.

Restart type and scoring rules Open page
VAR Protocol

VAR Checks

When VAR can intervene, what clear and obvious error means, and why some replay arguments stay with the on-field decision.

Reviewable incidents and thresholds Open page
Law 14

Penalties and Goalkeepers

Penalty awards, goalkeeper movement, encroachment, retakes, rebounds, and the double-touch calls that change the restart.

Kicks, keepers, and retakes Open page
Laws 7 and 10

Extra Time and Penalties

Stoppage time, extra time, penalty shootouts, tied knockout matches, and why the number shown by the fourth official is only a minimum.

Added time, extra periods, and shootouts Open page
Law 7

Match Length and Substitutions

How long a match lasts, why added time changes the final whistle, and how substitution limits depend on competition rules.

Timing, half-time, and replacement rules Open page
Laws 15-17

Restarts

Throw-ins, corners, goal kicks, direct goals from restarts, second touches, and when the ball is actually back in play.

Restart procedure and live-ball timing Open page
Law 12

Goalkeeper 8-Second Rule

When the goalkeeper control count starts, how the referee signals the final seconds, and why the sanction is now a corner kick.

Time-wasting and keeper control Open page
Law 12

DOGSO and SPA

How referees judge obvious goal chances, promising attacks, penalty-area downgrades, and the difference between yellow and red.

What the foul prevented Open page
Major flashpoints

Where football rulings get messy

  1. Goalkeeper interference: an attacker can be offside without touching the ball if they block the keeper or stop the keeper seeing the shot clearly.
  2. DOGSO or yellow card: stopping a big chance can mean a red card, but the punishment can change if the defender genuinely tried to play the ball.
  3. Handball after a deflection: a deflection matters, but it does not automatically excuse arm contact if the arm was already making the body bigger.
  4. Contact before a goal: sometimes fans focus on the touch itself, but referees also ask whether it actually caused the goal or took away a fair challenge.
  5. Restart mistakes: a throw-in, goal kick, or corner can look harmless until the ball placement, second touch, or direct-goal rule changes the restart.
  6. Free-kick confusion: a raised arm means an indirect free kick, so a goal cannot be scored unless another player touches the ball.
  7. Keeper time-wasting: the eight-second goalkeeper control rule now creates a corner kick, not the old indirect-free-kick sanction.
  8. Stoppage time confusion: the displayed added time is only a minimum, and extra time is a separate competition procedure rather than ordinary stoppage time.
How pages should read

Built for fast answers

  • Start with the answer people want most: what the decision is.
  • Walk through the referee's checks in the same order they happen.
  • Point out the detail fans often miss.
  • Connect the ruling to similar match situations.
Quick ruling The short version: the call, the reason, and the key detail that decided it.
Full explanation The longer version: the full rule, the decision path, and the exceptions that can flip the outcome.
Official references

Where these rulings come from

Sport Rules should match the official football rule-makers and refereeing bodies. These sources are the right place to check the full wording and current guidance.