Laws of the Game
Also known as LOTG, association football rules, rules of association football, reglamento de futbol, reglas de futbol, reglas del juego de futbol, football rules, lotg
codified rules helping define association football
AI overview
"Laws of the Game" is the official set of codified rules that define how association football (soccer) is played. These standardized rules matter because they ensure the sport is played consistently and fairly everywhere in the world.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Wikidata facts
- Image
- Original laws of the game 1863.jpg
Show 2 more facts
- Commons category
- Association football laws
- inception
- 1863-00-00
Sources (2)
via Wikidata · CC0
~24 min read
Article
The Laws of the Game are the codified rules of association football. The laws mention the number of players a team should have, the game length, the size of the field and ball, the type and nature of fouls that referees may penalise, the offside law, and many other laws that define the sport. During a match, it is the task of the referee to interpret and enforce the Laws of the Game.
There were various attempts to codify rules among the various types of football in the mid-19th century. The extant Laws date back to 1863 where a ruleset was formally adopted by the newly formed Football Association (FA) and written by its first secretary, Ebenezer Cobb Morley. Over time, the Laws have been amended, and since 1886 they have been maintained by the International Football Association Board (IFAB).