Football Rules
Offside after a defender’s touch: deliberate play is different from a deflection
A defender’s touch does not automatically reset offside. Read the difference between deliberate play, a deflection and a deliberate save in the Laws.
FROM THE TOUCHLINE
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Football Rules
After an injury, treatment and return to the pitch follow different rules
Follow the separate decisions around an injured footballer: stopping play, allowing treatment, leaving the field and receiving permission to return.
Reading the game
Playing advantage does not erase every disciplinary decision
Follow the foul and the later disciplinary decision separately when a referee plays advantage, including the current exceptions in IFAB Law 12.
Laws of the Game
What happens when a football loses pressure during play?
Learn how IFAB Law 2 handles a defective ball in open play, at a restart and during a penalty, and why the referee controls its replacement.
Understanding Football
Two Yellow Cards and a Straight Red Leave Different Disciplinary Records
Follow the difference between a second caution and a direct sending-off, without assuming that every red card produces the same suspension.