A 'bluffer's guide' to the 27th Southeast Asian Games : Futsal

A 'bluffer's guide' to the 27th Southeast Asian Games : Futsal

By Matt Roebuck   |   Monday, 25 November 2013

While football has been played at the SEA Games since its inception, futsal only made its debut at the last SEA Games, in 2011.

Where does it originate?

Futsal derives its name from a portmanteau of the Portuguese futebol de salão, basically translated as "hall football". Originally devised by Juan Carlos Ceriani of the Montevideo YMCA, futebol de salão continued to develop during the 1930s and 1940s as a solution to the lack of available football fields in Brazil and Uruguay's cities.

What's it all about?

A futsal pitch is recognisable from other forms of indoor football firstly by its external boundary, just like a regular football match. If the ball passes outside the boundary it is handed to the opposition who take a free kick from the point of exit.

The futsal ball is also smaller than a traditional football and is designed to bounce 30 percent lower. It is possible for players to lift the ball in the air but this tactic is risky owing to the tight confines of the playing field.

Most games are played on a flat, smooth, wooden or artificial surface. The standard size for an international futsal pitch is 40 metres by 20m (131 feet by 66 feet), with a ceiling at least 4m high. The goal posts must be 3m wide and 2m high, making a squarer goal than the short, squat rectangular goals found in other types of short-format football.

How do you play?

The speed and fluidity of the game is encouraged by additional rules. For instance, an indirect free kick is awarded to the opposing team if a goalkeeper touches or controls the ball with his hands or feet for more than four seconds within his own half.

Five players, including the goalkeeper, may take to the field at any time. This line-up is complimented by nine substitutes to the side of the pitch. These replacements may enter the pitch at any time during the game, including while the ball is in play; and there is no limit to the number of substitutions. This regular availability of substitutes ensures, that despite the game's frenetic pace, it's not hard to keep fresh players on the field.

Just like a traditional football pitch, there is a marked area in front of the goal where the keeper is allowed to handle the ball, but this does not inhibit the free movement of other players.

The pitch has two penalty spots – the first is 6 metres from the goal line and is used as it is in football for an occasion when a player commits a foul inside their penalty area.

The second mark is at 10 metres and is employed when a team has committed six fouls.

Just as in regular football, the match is supervised by a referee, with support from two assistants, while a timekeeper sits on the sidelines recording fouls and keeping account of time.

But a departure from traditional football comes after a player is shown a red card and removed from the pitch, which normally leaves that side a man down for the rest of the game. In futsal, a substitute can be put into play two minutes after the red card. However, if the opposing team scores within this two-minute "power play" a substitute can immediately be brought on.

How do you win?

As with the majority of invasion sports, the game is won by gaining more points than the opposition, in this case by scoring goals, which are recorded when the ball passes over the goal line into the goal. Should scores be tied after two periods of 20 minutes each, then in the knockout phases of a tournament extra time will be required. If the teams are still deadlocked at the end of extra time then the game will be decided by five penalty kicks.

Where is it played?

In Brazil, futsal is now played by more people than football, although the elite competitions of the sport do not attract as many spectators as its bigger brother. There are, however, a number of futsal players who have transferred their skills and abilities to the professional football circuit.

How many medals are available?

With team events for men and women, the futsal competition offers up two gold medals in the forthcoming games.

What's the betting?

In the men's competition, the smart money is on Thailand, which sits at 15th in the world rankings; its nearest competitor, Vietnam, is 48th. Nine of 10 ASEAN futsal tournaments have been won by Thailand, and the only time the nation has not won was in 2010, when Indonesia claimed the crown after Thailand chose not to compete.

The Myanmar team will set its sights on reaching the semi-finals at least. In this year's ASEAN tournament, Myanmar narrowly failed to reach the knockout stage. However, that competition placed Myanmar in a group with an Australian team that will not be at the SEA Games.

Apart from Thailand and Vietnam, to win a medal Myanmar will most likely have to overcome Indonesia or Malaysia, both of which are ranked at least 30 places higher.

Thailand enters the women's draw as defending champions but were upstaged at a pre-SEA Games tournament by Vietnam, instructed by a Thai coach, overturning a defeat earlier in the tournament.

Myanmar will also hope to medal, after securing the bronze back in 2011.

Where will it all happen?

The futsal events will be held at the Wunna Theikdi Sports Complex in Nay Pyi Taw, kicking off on December 9. The semis will be held on the December 18 and the tournaments will conclude on December 20.

Did you know?

Two international bodies govern futsal: FIFA, the international governing body of football; and the Asociación Mundial de Futsal (AMF), a successor to the original body that governed the sport as an entity independent from football. AMF is prepared to recognise teams from states not recognised by the United Nations, such as Abkhazia, Kosovo, South Ossetia and Catalonia. This means that several nations, including top-ranked Spain, boycott AMF competitions.

Matt Roebuck is a sports writer and sports development consultant based in Yangon. He is the author of the book The Other Olympics, published in 2012.

Our 'Bluffer's Guide' to the SEA Games focuses on sports that may never make it to the Olympics but whose elite will get their chance to compete for international gold in Myanmar this December.

This week we focus on a sport born from arguably the most popular game in the world. As the child of an instantly recognisable parent, many features may seem familiar but there are notable differences.

Source: http://www.news.myanmaronlinecentre.com/2013/11/26/a-bluffers-guide-to-the-27th-southeast-asian-games-futsal/