SELF REFEREED MINI-FOOTBALL
RULES
Before the match
1. Players
1.1 Who ? Members of CSIT unions, observer members and members of international confederations
which having signed a cooperation agreement with the CSIT, can participate. The organising Union
can invite non-affiliated CSIT federations and company sports teams to participate in CSIT
Championships or the CSIT World Sport Games.
More than one team by Union can participate. If there are too many teams in the championship, only
one team from each union will be allowed to participate.
Professional players who take part in national championships cannot participate in CSIT
Championships.
1.2 How many ? 11 persons maximum (9 players, 1 coach, 1 head of delegation). 5 players on the
field including the goal-keeper.
Players have to be 16 or older.
Subsitutions are unlimited and can be made at any time without stopping the game.
1.3 How ? Shirts with same colours and numeroted, and 2 balls size 4 (futsal ball).
Wearing dangerous objects (watches, bracelets, etc;) and screwed cleats is prohibited.
Not wearing shin guards can not be an obstacle for the player to enter the field.
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Allowed shoes :
Forbidden shoes :
2. FIELD
2.1 Size : A field with handball size (around 40x20m) with lateral goals (3x2m).
2.2 Surface : Synthetic or grass.
2.3 Zones : Substitutes are along the line (nobody behind the goal line).
A player can come out anywhere in the field.
3. DURATION
3.1 Duration : 2 periods of 20 minutes (15 minutes for women) without additional time.
3.2 Start and finish: Teams agree on the ball, the field, and stand ready till general signal.
At full time, game finishes when the ball goes out of the field. On a foul ball doesn't cross the line, so
the free kick is played.
3.3 Time : 15 minutes after kick off the absent team is declared forfeited.
3.4 Frequency : Each team will play at least 4 matches during the championship but no more than 2
matches per day.
The Match
4. GAME
4.1 Start of the game : Kick-off : in the middle. The ball can be given in all directions.
 Throw in : with foot, stopped ball near the location where the ball goes out.
 On kick-off, throw in, corner kick or free kick : opponents 6m to the ball (still). The kicker can't
touch the ball again before another player touches it.
 On kick-off or throw in : a goal can't be scored directly. If this is the case, a goal clearance is
played.
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4.2 Goalkeeper : Can catch the ball by hand in its surface area ; must play quickly. He can not release
the ball and then catch it by hand again.
He can't touch the ball with his hands when he receives a pass from a teammate (all types of passes).
He plays goal clearance with hands, opponents outside the area. The ball doesn't have to go out of the
area to be involved, but if the goalkeeper puts it on the ground, he can't touch it again, even with foot.
4.3 Score : The system by which the competitions will be carried out is chosen depending on the
number of the participating teams. In case of championship or group-phase, the system of points is as
follows :
- Won: 3 points
- Draw: 2 points
- Defeat: 1 point
- Forfeited / Defeat by penalty : 0 point (score 0-5)
- Penalty for 2 teams : 0 point (0-0 score)
In the case of draw, particular goals difference. In the case of draw between 3 teams, goal difference
in the matches is taken into account.
In case of new draw, the best general goals difference, and then the best attack.
5. FOULS
A match can be played without foul.
5.1 Free kick : Direct, at the place of the foul (the kicker can choose the pass to a teammate) to :
- Common fouls
- Getting voluntarily before the goalkeeper, even on place-kick.
- Tackle (player lying or rolling on the ground to clear the ball), near opponent. We play standing. The
goalkeeper is a player like the others, therefore tackle is prohibited too.
This type of interception is allowed only when the player is alone with no player nearby (for example,
player preventing the ball out).
In the surface area, we play a penalty.
5.2 Offside : There is no offside in self-refereed mini-football.
5.3 Evocative law : A running game can be interrupted by the organization if external conditions of the
match do not correspond to the spirit (hostilities against a team of a player).
Some fouls or events may result after the game, reframing, player exclusion or downgrading team :
foul in last defender position, systematic repetition of fouls or tackles, even if they are reported or the
opponent plays the advantage.
6. SELF-REFEREEING
6.1 Application : Self-refereeing is "auto-arbitrage" in French. It comes from Greek "autos" which
means "oneself". It isn't the solution but the problem that should be solved by all the players. Only
players on the field regulate the match ; a substitute or the coach are not involved in the selfrefereeing ; except when he plays and is near the action.
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General case
Difficult appreciation ?
Ball goes out
A lot of people on the action
Situation is clear
Hand
> No discussion
> I point out that I was the last
person to touch the ball
Hand is evident
Player who made foul refutes.
> No discussion
In penalty area or not ?
Really disagreed ?
Out of the line ? 2 players
touched the ball at the same
time ?
> Ball goes to a defending
team
> Teams have to reach an
> Players nearby decide. If
agreement in 2 minutes
necessary, by compromise (ex : we
can decide to play a free kick in the
penalty area).
> The action can be "put
aside"
Player asks an evident foul
Foul
> No discussion
Advantage
Nobody
announces
Player who
"foul". The game made the foul
continues.
announces
Player asks "foul" ; a teammate
"foul" or "hand" ; continues to play and announces
We can't
Opponent plays "advantage".
penalize the
and announces
original foul
when the team « advantage ».
loses the ball.
> Advantage is played in every
case
Immediate
announcement
Defenders
stopped
> Playable
advantage
> Not playable
advantage
> Without agreement, we
usually give the ball to a
defending team
> Common convention : teams
that regain the possesion of
the ball, give it to the
opponents...
6.2 Tolerance level : it is not the same for each team. Rough contacts are regulated by the principle
that players don't do what they don't want to be done by the opponents. If necessary, regulation is recalibrated by each team leader, first of all in his own team. Especially, when a player is insincere in
evaluating his fouls (Never or hardly admits made fouls / often or easily requests fouls).
The team can use the temporary exit that temporarily penalizes an irregular behavior. In practice, the
player is substituted. It can be used at the same time by both teams.
Teams can “put aside” an action in the case of disagreement. This episode may not be important at
the end of the match. If this action becomes important, it is processed as a dispute.
6.3 Watcher : It checks the application of self-refereeing. The watcher is not a decision maker, but he
can be a reminder of the rules.
During the game if the teams fail to reach a decision, after 1 minute, the watcher reminds that that they
must find an agreement or a compromise. After 1 minute again, the game must resume, otherwise
both teams lose the match by penalty.
Just like teams, watchers are empowered to supervise with the next schedule :
- 3 points: no fault or a minor one, it doesn't request imaginary fouls
- 2 points: too many fouls and / or unjustified objections
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- 1 point: specific problem (rudeness, dishonesty ...) and / or too many fouls
- 0 points: global problem with self-refereeing, full responsibility for the dispute
The frame of spirit is validated after each game.
7. Spirit
7.1 Convention: Unlike sports with a judge or a referee, self-refereeing is a concept where each player
understands that the game is the issue. Deceit or simulation, even well done, can not be used.
Making minor or no fouls, regulated by self-refereeing, is a key to a successful match. The spirit of all
games contributes to the interest of the activity.
7.2 Before the tournament : The CSIT presents self-refereeing and its values to the teams and
ensures its understanding by everybody.
7.3 During the match : a team that leaves the field, if the atmosphere is deteriorating, is not
automatically penalized.
Spirit of the game
General case
If recurrence
Failure to the game (example : deliberately hide the
goalkeeper, defender refuses to step back to 6m,
repeated loss of time)
Regulate or find agreement
Raise the
dispute
Big failure (example : tackle, repeated fouls, fouls
in last defender position)
Misconducts and unsporting behaviour
Temporary exit and / or raise the dispute
(for example, if violence or at the end of
the game)
Temporary exit and raise the dispute
Leave the field
and raise the
dispute
7.4 After :
The match only gives a score. The spirit validates the game. After the match, if a drift or a problem
occurred, a dispute is raised and processed by the special commission.
During the tournament, due to the pace of matches, the rating of watchers defines the atmosphere. If a
drift signal is raised, the team can be reframed with the coach and the head of delegation before
sanction. A group of representatives is created to deal with these abuses or disputes.
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