Laws of the Game 2019/20 Summary

A comprehensive look at the Laws of the Game for the most popular sport in the world. Changes for the 2019/2020 season include yellow and red cards for team officials, substitutions are to be done at the nearest point on the boundary line, and dropped ball are no longer contested.

The original presentation was 40 minutes long, but it was shortened because humans (including me) have a short attention span. Please comment on YT and send an email (as my contact information is in video). For long slides at the beginning, please pause to read the full slide. LawsoftheGameQA is your source for quick answers related to the beautiful game.

Terminology in LOTG and presentation:
LOTG: Laws of the Game
DOGSO: Denial of Goal Scoring Opportunity (YC/RC)
UB: Unsporting Behavior (YC)
SPA: Stopping a Promising Attack (YC-UB)
IDFK: Indirect Free Kick
DFK: Direct Free Kick
PA: Penalty Area
PK: Penalty Kick
GK: Goal kick
GA: Goal Area


Changes as listed in http://theifab.com/document/for-footb... :
Law 3
• A player who is being substituted must leave the field at the nearest point on the boundary line, unless otherwise directed by the referee
Law 5
• Team officials guilty of misconduct can be shown a YC/RC; if an offender cannot be identified, the senior coach in the technical area receives the YC/RC
Law 8
• The team that wins the toss may choose to take the kick-off or which goal to attack
• Dropped ball – ball dropped for goalkeeper (if play stopped in penalty area) or for one player of team that last touched the ball at the location of the last touch; all other players (of both teams) must be at least 4m (4.5 yds) away
Law 9
• Dropped ball if the ball touches the referee (or other match official) and goes into the goal, possession changes or an attacking move starts
Law 10
• Goalkeeper cannot score by throwing the ball into the opponents’ goal
Law 12
• If, after a throw-in or deliberate pass from a team-mate, the goalkeeper unsuccessfully kicks or tries to kick the ball to release it into play, the goalkeeper can then handle the ball
• Referee can delay issuing a YC/RC until the next stoppage if the non-offending team takes a quick free kick and creates a goal-scoring opportunity
• The YC for an ‘illegal’ goal celebration remains even if the goal is disallowed
Law 13
• For defending team free kicks in their penalty area, the ball is in play once it is kicked and clearly moves; it does not have to leave the penalty area
• When there is a defensive ‘wall’ of at least 3 players, all attacking team players must be at least 1m from the ‘wall’; IDFK if they encroach
Law 14
• Goalkeeper must have at least part of one foot on, or in line with, the goal line when a penalty kick is taken; cannot stand behind the line
Law 15
• At goal kicks, the ball is in play once it is kicked and clearly moves; it does not have to leave the penalty area