Section 7: Violations/Penalties (Law 12)
Direct Free Kick Offenses
A direct free kick (or penalty kick if inside the offender's penalty area) is awarded if a player commits any of the following offenses against an opponent in a manner considered by the referee to be careless, reckless, or using excessive force:
- Charging
- Jumping at
- Kicking or attempting to kick
- Pushing
- Striking or attempting to strike (including headbutt)
- Tackling or challenging
- Tripping or attempting to trip
A direct free kick is also awarded if a player:
- Holds an opponent
- Impedes an opponent with contact
- Bites or spits at someone
- Throws an object at the ball, an opponent, or a match official
- Handles the ball deliberately (except the goalkeeper within their penalty area)
Handball
It is an offense when a player deliberately touches the ball with their hand/arm (including moving the hand/arm toward the ball), scores directly from their hand/arm (even if accidental), or creates a goal-scoring opportunity after the ball touches their hand/arm (even if accidental). The shoulder is not considered part of the arm. Not every contact of the ball with the hand/arm is an offense; the referee considers the position of the hand/arm in relation to the body, whether the player made their body unnaturally bigger, and whether the contact was unavoidable.
Indirect Free Kick Offenses
An indirect free kick is awarded when a player plays in a dangerous manner, impedes the progress of an opponent without contact, or commits any offense for which play is stopped to caution or dismiss a player. Specific goalkeeper indirect free kick offenses include controlling the ball with the hand/arm for more than six seconds, touching the ball with the hand/arm after deliberately receiving it from a teammate's kick or throw-in, and touching the ball with the hand/arm after releasing it and before it touches another player.
Disciplinary Action
- Yellow Card (Caution): Issued for unsporting behavior, dissent, persistent infringement, delaying the restart of play, failing to respect the required distance at set pieces, entering/leaving the field without permission, or deliberate handball to stop a promising attack (if outside the penalty area, the offense now results in a yellow card rather than a red under certain conditions).
- Red Card (Sending-off): Issued for serious foul play, violent conduct, spitting at or biting another person, denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity by handling the ball (for non-goalkeepers), denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity with a foul (outside the penalty area), using offensive/insulting/abusive language or gestures, or receiving a second yellow card. A player who is sent off must leave the field and its surroundings immediately.
Advantage
The referee may allow play to continue when a team against which an offense has been committed would benefit from the advantage. If the anticipated advantage does not materialize within a few seconds, the referee penalizes the original offense. Disciplinary action (yellow or red card) may still be taken at the next stoppage even if advantage is played.