How to Referee Futsal
Dual Referee System, 4-Second Rule, Accumulated Fouls, Substitution Zones & Signals
Last updated: April 6, 2026
A futsal match is officiated by two referees of equal authority positioned on opposite touchlines, supported by a third referee and a timekeeper at the scoring table. The referees enforce futsal's unique rules — the 4-second restart limit, accumulated foul tracking (triggering a 10m penalty from the 6th foul per half), substitution zone management, and kick-in restarts — while the timekeeper operates the countdown clock and monitors foul counts.
Match Officials and Their Roles
Futsal's officiating structure is fundamentally different from football. Here is each role:
First Referee (Referee 1) Positioned on one touchline, the first referee has slightly higher authority in cases where the two referees disagree. Responsibilities:
- Controls the match using whistle signals.
- Awards free kicks, penalties, kick-ins, goal clearances, and corner kicks.
- Shows yellow and red cards.
- Decides the outcome of disputed situations.
- Signals the timekeeper to stop and start the clock.
Second Referee (Referee 2) Positioned on the opposite touchline from Referee 1. Has equal decision-making power on fouls, cards, and restarts. The two referees work as a team, each covering their half of the court and the touchline in front of them. Either referee can make any call — there is no "lead and trail" hierarchy as in basketball.
Third Referee Seated at the timekeeper's table between the team benches. Responsibilities:
- Manages the substitution process, ensuring outgoing players leave before incoming players enter.
- Records substitutions and ensures teams do not exceed squad limits.
- Acts as a reserve referee if Referee 1 or 2 cannot continue.
- Assists with bench discipline and technical area management.
Timekeeper Seated at the timekeeper's table alongside the Third Referee. Responsibilities:
- Operates the official countdown clock (20:00 → 0:00 per half), stopping it on the referees' whistle and restarting on play resuming.
- Tracks accumulated fouls for each team per half, displaying the count on the scoreboard.
- Sounds a horn/buzzer when a team commits its 5th accumulated foul (alerting that the next foul triggers the 10m penalty).
- Sounds the buzzer at 0:00 to end each half — the timekeeper, not the referee, determines when the half is over.
- Monitors the 4-second countdown for restarts when the referee signals.
- Manages timeout requests from coaches.
Referee Positioning — The Touchline System
Unlike football's diagonal system, futsal referees use a touchline-based positioning system that provides constant close-range coverage of the compact court.
Basic positioning:
- Referee 1 patrols one touchline, Referee 2 patrols the opposite touchline.
- Each referee is responsible for the goal line to their left and the touchline in front of them.
- When play moves to one end of the court, the referee on that side becomes the lead official (closer to the goal, focusing on penalty area incidents), while the other becomes the trail official (covering the midcourt area and watching for off-ball fouls).
Movement patterns:
- Referees move laterally along their touchline, adjusting position to maintain the best angle on the ball and surrounding players.
- The ideal position is perpendicular to the ball — directly level with the action.
- Referees should avoid being behind the play (too close to the goal they are approaching) or too far ahead (too close to their own goal line when play is at the other end).
Switching: After certain dead-ball situations (goal kick, after a goal), the referees may switch touchlines to balance their coverage and avoid fatigue from repeated lateral movement in one direction.
Key principle: Because futsal is played on a much smaller court than football, the referees are always within 10-15 metres of the action. This proximity demands faster decision-making but also provides clearer views of incidents. Positioning errors are more noticeable and impactful in the confined space.
Enforcing the 4-Second Rule
The 4-second rule is unique to futsal and is one of the most important responsibilities for the referee and timekeeper.
What it covers: All restarts must be executed within 4 seconds:
- Kick-ins (ball played from the touchline back into play)
- Goal clearances (the goalkeeper throws or kicks the ball from the penalty area after it crosses the goal line off an opponent)
- Corner kicks
- Free kicks
How it is enforced:
- The referee blows the whistle and signals the restart.
- The timekeeper starts a visible 4-second countdown on the scoreboard or countdown device.
- The ball must be played within 4 seconds.
- If the player fails to restart in time, the referee awards possession to the opposing team.
For kick-ins: If the 4 seconds expire, the opposing team gets a kick-in from the same spot. For goal clearances: If the goalkeeper does not release the ball within 4 seconds, the opposing team gets an indirect free kick from the penalty area line. For free kicks and corners: Possession passes to the opposing team.
Referee considerations:
- The 4-second count begins when the ball is correctly placed and the player is ready to play. If the ball is still rolling or the player is retrieving it, the count does not start.
- The referee uses a visible hand countdown (arm extended, counting down from 4 with fingers) to help players track the time.
- Strict enforcement of the 4-second rule is essential to maintain futsal's pace. Lenient officiating can lead to time-wasting and disrupts the flow of the game.
Managing Accumulated Fouls
Accumulated foul management is a shared responsibility between the referees and the timekeeper.
What counts as an accumulated foul: All fouls that result in a direct free kick are counted as accumulated fouls:
- Tripping, kicking, or attempting to kick an opponent
- Jumping at an opponent
- Charging an opponent (including shoulder charges)
- Striking or attempting to strike an opponent
- Pushing an opponent
- Tackling from behind with contact
- Holding an opponent
- Spitting at an opponent
- Deliberate handball (except by the goalkeeper in their own penalty area)
What does NOT count:
- Fouls resulting in an indirect free kick (dangerous play, obstruction, goalkeeper infractions) are NOT accumulated fouls.
- Fouls committed during the penalty kick procedure are not accumulated.
The count process:
- The referee signals a direct free kick foul.
- The timekeeper records the foul and updates the accumulated count on the scoreboard.
- At the 5th foul, the timekeeper sounds the horn — alerting both teams, the referees, and spectators.
- From the 6th foul onwards, the opposing team gets a free kick from the second penalty mark (10m) with no wall.
The 10-metre free kick procedure:
- The ball is placed on the second penalty mark (10m from the goal line, on the centre of the court).
- The kicker can shoot directly at goal.
- No wall is permitted — no players may stand between the ball and the goal.
- All other players must be behind the ball and outside the penalty area.
- The goalkeeper must stand on the goal line, at least 5 metres from the ball, and may move laterally.
- The kicker must shoot — they cannot pass to a teammate.
If the foul occurs beyond the second penalty mark (in the opponent's half of the court): The attacking team can choose to take the free kick from the spot of the foul instead of the 10-metre mark, if they believe they have a better angle.
Half-time reset: Accumulated fouls reset to 0 at half-time. In overtime, fouls from the 2nd half carry into the 1st overtime period, then reset for the 2nd overtime period.
Substitution Zone Management
Futsal substitutions are unlimited and happen on the fly — a critical difference from football. The third referee and referees must monitor the substitution zones closely.
Substitution zone location:
- A 5-metre zone on each side of the halfway line, on the touchline in front of the team benches (the same touchline as the timekeeper's table).
- Each team has its own designated substitution zone.
The substitution procedure:
- The outgoing player must completely exit the court through their team's substitution zone.
- Only once the outgoing player has left may the incoming player enter the court through the same zone.
- Substitutions can happen at any time during play — the game does not stop.
- The substitute must enter at the substitution zone — entering from any other point is an infraction.
Infraction penalties:
- If a substitute enters before the outgoing player has fully left, the referee stops play and the substitute receives a yellow card.
- The team restarts with the correct number of players.
- If a player enters from outside the substitution zone, the same penalty applies.
Goalkeeper substitution: A goalkeeper can be substituted for a field player (and vice versa) at any stoppage. The substitute must wear a goalkeeper jersey or distinguishing jersey. During play, a goalkeeper can switch roles with a field player only during a dead-ball situation and with the referee's permission.
Third referee's role: The third referee monitors all substitutions, ensuring the outgoing player leaves first, the incoming player enters from the correct zone, and that the teams do not exceed the maximum number of players on the court (5).
Key Referee Signals in Futsal
Futsal referees use FIFA-standardised hand and arm signals that differ in some respects from football:
Direct free kick: The referee blows the whistle and extends one arm in the direction of play for the attacking team — identical to football.
Indirect free kick: The referee raises one arm straight above the head and keeps it raised until the ball is played by another player. Used for: goalkeeper holding the ball more than 4 seconds, dangerous play, obstruction, goalkeeper touching the ball with hands in opponent's half.
Accumulated foul free kick (from the 6th foul): The referee points to the second penalty mark (10m) with one arm extended. With the other arm, the referee signals no wall by extending both arms horizontally.
Kick-in: The referee points in the direction of play for the team awarded the kick-in, using one arm extended horizontally. The 4-second countdown begins when the ball is placed and the player is ready.
Goal clearance: The referee points toward the penalty area of the team that has been awarded the goal clearance.
Corner kick: The referee points to the corner of the court where the kick will be taken.
Penalty kick (6 metres): The referee points to the penalty mark with one arm extended horizontally.
4-second countdown: The referee extends one arm and counts down visually with their fingers — 4, 3, 2, 1 — so the player can see the remaining time.
Timeout: The referee forms a T shape with both hands (one horizontal, one vertical) and points toward the team that requested the timeout.
Advantage: Same as football — both arms sweep forward and upward. However, advantage is applied more sparingly in futsal due to the confined space and rapid transitions.
How to Become a Futsal Referee
Futsal refereeing follows a pathway managed by national football associations under FIFA's umbrella.
Step 1: Basic course Contact your national football association (e.g., The FA in England, PZPN in Poland, US Soccer in the USA, RFEF in Spain). Most offer a specific futsal referee course covering:
- FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game (distinct from the Laws of the Game for 11-a-side)
- Dual referee positioning and coordination
- Accumulated foul management
- 4-second rule enforcement
- Substitution zone monitoring
- Fitness requirements for indoor officiating
Minimum age is typically 16-18 years. Some associations combine futsal certification with football referee courses; others offer separate tracks.
Step 2: Local and recreational matches New futsal referees are assigned to amateur leagues, recreational tournaments, and youth futsal matches. The compact court and high speed of the game require quick adaptation — futsal is physically and mentally demanding for officials.
Step 3: Regional and national competitions Performance-based promotion moves referees to higher-level domestic competitions. Assessors evaluate:
- Decision accuracy (fouls, accumulated foul management, 4-second enforcement)
- Positioning and court coverage
- Communication with the referee partner, third referee, and timekeeper
- Match control and player management
Step 4: FIFA Futsal International List Top domestic futsal referees can be nominated for the FIFA Futsal International Referees List, officiating continental championships, Futsal Champions League matches, and FIFA Futsal World Cup games.
Fitness demands: Futsal referees must maintain excellent fitness. While the court is smaller than a football pitch, the constant stopping and starting, lateral movement, and need to maintain position during rapid transitions demand high anaerobic fitness and agility. The shorter match duration (40 minutes of play) is offset by the intensity — there is virtually no walking during futsal matches.
Key challenge: Coordination between the two referees is the most difficult skill to master. Unlike football, where one referee leads and assistants support, futsal requires two officials making independent but consistent decisions in real time, communicating via whistle, hand signals, and eye contact across the width of the court.
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