King football rules the world. Hundreds of thousands of people flock to the stadiums at weekends, even more sit in front of the TV sets and almost as many play the sport week after week on the nation's sports fields. But in the shadow of big football there is a little brother called futsal. And in terms of the game's appeal, it definitely has the potential to knock its big brother off his throne. But what is futsal actually? That's what we want to get to the bottom of in this article. Because when it comes to the word futsal, no one has made a mistake, but had a pretty good idea.
What is futsal - the most important futsal rules
It's hard to get past football, but very few people can say what futsal is straight away. So that you can have your say in the future, we have summarised the most important futsal rules for you - and everything else you need to know about this spectacular sport.
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Futsal is the cooler little brother of football
While 90 minutes of football can feel agonisingly long if the end result is 0-0, this outcome is possible in futsal, but almost impossible. At the 2022 European Futsal Championship in the Netherlands, an average of 5.41 goals were scored per game - the ball hit the net every 7 minutes on average. But of course we haven't answered the question "What is futsal?" sufficiently with the answer "cool", so let's first take a look at the futsal rules.
These are the most important futsal rules
The field is smaller, the goals are, and even the ball. But there are a lot of other rule differences to "big brother" football that answer the question "What is futsal?
Number of players, changes, playing time: The futsal basics
In futsal, two teams face each other with five players (four field players and one goalkeeper). Nine additional players per team may be brought into the game. There is no limit to the number of substitutions, as is the case with football. Each player may be substituted in and out as often as desired. Substitutions may be made on the fly. There is no need to wait for the game to be interrupted. However, the substitutions may only be made in a defined changing zone and the substituted player may not enter the field until the substituted player has left the field.
The futsal field corresponds to a handball field (40 x 20 metres). The goals are also the same size as classic handball goals, measuring 3 x 2 metres. And there are a few more rules that are also familiar from handball: two referees officiate the game on an equal footing. The coaches of both teams have one one-minute time-out per half-time for speeches. This time-out can only be taken when the team has possession of the ball and must be announced to the timekeeper beforehand.
The game is played in two halves of 20 minutes each. In between, there is a break of a quarter of an hour. So the ball rolls for a total of 40 minutes - and that is effectively how long it is in play. Because as soon as there is an interruption, the time is stopped. This means that there is no extra time.
Only four seconds: Futsal needs speed and technique
And since we are talking about the ball: in senior football, a size 5 ball is used, whereas the futsal ball is one size smaller (4) and ticks less so that it is easier to control on the indoor floor. To have better control, players often guide it with the sole.
If the goalkeeper has passed the ball to a teammate, he is only allowed to touch it again in his own half if an opponent has been on the ball in the meantime. In general, the goalkeeper may only hold or guide the ball in his own half (in the penalty area) for four seconds, after which the referee decides on an indirect free kick. A repeated back pass to the goalkeeper, which football fans in the stadium like to acknowledge with whistles, is therefore not possible in futsal.
In the opponent's half, however, the goalkeeper can be used as a fifth field player and may then pass the ball as often and as long as he wishes. As in football, the goalkeeper may only touch the ball with his hand in the penalty area (in futsal it is the 6-metre circle).
Fouls and penalties in futsal
The yellow card is used by the referees to caution for fouls, handball or unsportsmanlike conduct. Foul play in futsal is generally assessed in the same way as in football. There is, however, one special feature in tackling: straddling is only allowed to block a ball. They may not be played directly against the opponent. This is to minimise the risk of injury.
Team fouls in futsal
Goals may be scored from anywhere on the pitch during the match - but not after a kick-off, kick-in or goal clearance and, logically, not after an indirect free kick. There is no offside, unlike in large-sided football.
The question "What is futsal?" can therefore be answered with a mixture of several sports. This is also evident in the futsal rules.
The origins of futsal: limited space and World Cup euphoria
Futsal is popular in Eastern Europe, but also in Southern Europe, Asia and especially Latin America. Futsal is also said to have originated there. Namely in Uruguay.
Uruguay was the first host country of the FIFA World Cup in 1930. Football fans bathed in anticipation. Every free space in the capital Montevideo was used to play football. Because there were not enough football fields, the children also used the basketball courts. Juan Carlos Cerini, an Argentine sports teacher living there, observed this and got the idea for a new form of the game. He was inspired by water polo, handball and basketball. Futsal spread throughout South America. Spanish and Portuguese immigrants eventually brought the sport to Europe.
And they probably also came up with the name. Futsal is derived from the Portuguese or Spanish term for indoor football. In Cristiano Ronaldo's country of origin they say "futebol de salão", in the country of Spanish world champion Andres Iniesta "fútbol sala". Fútbol means football, sala means hall.
Futsal salary - significant differences to professional football
But what does the best futsaler in the world earn? Not bad, that much you can say. Ricardinho is said to earn over one million euros in three years at the French club ACCS. If you compare that with professional footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, who is said to earn 29 million euros a year at Manchester United, there is a clear difference in salary between futsal and football. But not only in terms of salary, there are also clear differences in Germany in terms of professionalism and popularity. It will probably be some time before the names of futsal players are really known in this country.
Design your own futsal jersey at spized
If you have been bitten by the futsal bug and still need the right jersey for your futsal career, our 3D configurator is the ideal solution. Here you can design your own futsal jersey in no time at all and let your creativity run free.
