# Law 9: The Ball In and Out of Play (FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game)

Futsal · Law 9: The Ball In and Out of Play · Insporta Book (https://book.insporta.app/futsal/laws/law-9-the-ball-in-and-out-of-play/)

Law 9 covers the ball's basic status: the three plain ways it goes out of play (a wholly-crossed boundary line, the referees stopping play, or hitting the ceiling); the three specific situations that also put it out of play when it has touched a match official and stayed on the pitch, restarted with a dropped ball; the default rule that any other official touch, or a rebound off the goalpost or crossbar that stays on the pitch, keeps the ball in play; the lighter indirect-free-kick outcome for a team official, substitute, sent-off player or temporarily off-pitch player who unintentionally touches a ball clearly leaving the pitch; and the indoor-pitch rules for a minimum ceiling height and the kick-in restart, including who takes it and from where, when the ball hits the ceiling.

## 9.91 The Ball In and Out of Play

The three basic ways the ball goes out of play; the three specific situations that also apply when it has touched a match official and stayed on the pitch, restarted with a dropped ball; the default in-play rule for any other official touch or a goalpost/crossbar rebound; the lighter indirect-free-kick outcome for an unintentional touch by someone off the pitch; and the indoor-pitch ceiling-height and kick-in rules, closing with a Law 9 synthesis.

### Test 1: When the ball is out of play

- The three basic conditions are a wholly-crossed boundary line, the referees stopping play, and a ceiling hit, not a foul, a crossbar contact standing in for the ceiling, or any mix that swaps one of the three for a foul. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 9 §1 (Ball Out of Play))
- Law 9 counts a wholly-crossed line on the floor or in the air equally, so an aerial crossing is not excluded, is not merely unofficial, and does not depend on whether the ball later bounces back. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 9 §1 (Ball Out of Play))
- Law 9 requires the whole ball to have wholly passed over the line, not a bare majority, any visible part, or a condition about opposition. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 9 §1 (Ball Out of Play))
- A stoppage by the referees is itself one of the three basic conditions, wherever the ball is, so it does not need a boundary crossing or ceiling hit, does not wait for the ball to stop rolling, and is not just a clock pause. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 9 §1 (Ball Out of Play))
- Only a ceiling hit is named as this third basic condition, not an advertising board, a wall fixture, or the goal frame. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 9 §1 (Ball Out of Play))
- An aerial crossing counts exactly like a ground-level one the moment it wholly passes the line, not waiting to land and not affected by height. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 9 §1 (Ball Out of Play))
- The wholly-crossed rule applies equally to the end line and the touchline, not one line exclusively, and not a floor-only version for the touchline. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 9 §1 (Ball Out of Play))
- A ceiling touch is its own condition, out of play the instant it happens, so it needs no added boundary crossing, no later exit over a line, and applies in every period, not just the second half. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 9 §1 (Ball Out of Play))
- It is the referees stopping play, not the timekeeper's signal, the third referee's sign, or the fourth referee's flag, that forms this basic condition. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 9 §1 (Ball Out of Play))
- A boundary crossing and a ceiling hit are both purely about the ball's physical location, unlike a referees' stoppage, which is a decision; none of the three is limited to the second period or needs a foul first. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 9 §1 (Ball Out of Play))

### Test 2: The three official-touch exceptions that put the ball out of play

- The three named situations are a promising attack starting, the ball entering the goal, or a change of possession, not a foul standing in for any of them, and not the match clock stopping. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 9 §1 (Ball Out of Play))
- Without a promising attack, a goal, or a possession change, the touch alone does not put the ball out of play, so it is not automatic, is not merely a reporting matter, and does not depend on which official was touched. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 9 §1 (Ball Out of Play))
- These three situations restart with a dropped ball, not a kick-in, an indirect free kick, or a goal clearance. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 9 §1 (Ball Out of Play))
- The ball entering the goal after touching an official is one of the three named situations, so it is out of play and restarted with a dropped ball, not counted as a goal, not a goal clearance, and not treated as still in play. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 9 §1 (Ball Out of Play))
- A change of possession alone is one of the three named situations, so it is enough by itself, does not require an immediate goal, and is not tied to an earlier foul. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 9 §1 (Ball Out of Play))
- All three situations only apply once the ball has touched a match official and stayed on the pitch, not left it, and neither a foul nor a penalty-area location is required. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 9 §1 (Ball Out of Play))
- A promising attack starting is itself one of the three named situations regardless of which referee is touched, does not need to actually produce a shot, and is not judged only after a whistle. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 9 §1 (Ball Out of Play))
- The deciding factor is always whether one of the three named situations coincided with the touch, not which period it happened in, which official was touched, or the ball's speed. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 9 §1 (Ball Out of Play))
- Only the touch that coincides with a named situation matters, here the second one, not the first touch alone, not both combined, and a double touch does not cancel the rule. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 9 §1 (Ball Out of Play))
- A match-official touch only matters when it coincides with one of the three named situations, not at every moment, not exclusively during a promising attack, and not limited to extra time. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 9 §1-2 (Ball Out of Play; Ball In Play))

### Test 3: When the ball stays in play

- The default for an official touch is staying in play, with the three named situations as the only exceptions, not the reverse default, a brief pause, or a rule based on which official it was. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 9 §2 (Ball In Play))
- A goalpost or crossbar rebound that stays on the pitch simply remains in play, not out of play for a goal clearance or a dropped ball, and not a trigger to pause for a check. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 9 §2 (Ball In Play))
- A crossbar rebound that stays on the pitch never leaves play at any point, so there is no brief gap, contact with the frame is not a stoppage, and it makes no difference which side clears it. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 9 §2 (Ball In Play))
- With none of the three named situations present, the ball stays in play, so a contact with a match official by itself does not end play, there is no five-second limit, and no indirect free kick follows here. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 9 §2 (Ball In Play))
- Only a goalpost or crossbar rebound is named, not the corner flag, the technical area, the goal net, or an advertising board. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 9 §2 (Ball In Play))
- A goalpost rebound only keeps the ball in play while it stays on the pitch; crossing the touchline afterward still makes it out of play, regardless of which part of the frame it touched. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 9 §2 (Ball In Play))
- Only an official's touch is checked against the three named situations; a goalpost or crossbar rebound simply stays in play with no such check, unlike either alternative given. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 9 §2 (Ball In Play))
- Neither a crossbar rebound nor an official touch takes the ball out of play without one of the three named situations, so two harmless contacts together still leave it in play, with no dropped-ball restart needed. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 9 §2 (Ball In Play))
- The touch changes the ball's status only when it coincides with one of the three named situations, not in most situations, not in almost none of them, and not tied to the match half. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 9 §1-2 (Ball Out of Play; Ball In Play))
- Which specific official is touched makes no difference by itself; a boundary crossing, one of the three named situations, and the goalpost-versus-crossbar distinction all genuinely matter elsewhere in Law 9. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 9 §1-2 (Ball Out of Play; Ball In Play))

### Test 4: The leaving-the-pitch touch by a non-player

- The four named people are a team official, a substitute, a sent-off player, and a temporarily off-pitch player, not a spectator, a match delegate, a coach, a referee, a ball boy, or a steward. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 9 §2 (Ball In Play))
- This rule is for the exact moment the ball is still in play but clearly on its way out, not once it has already left, not while stationary, and not at a kick-off. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 9 §2 (Ball In Play))
- The outcome is an indirect free kick with nothing added, not a direct free kick, not a caution on top of the free kick, and not a mere verbal warning with no free kick. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 9 §2 (Ball In Play))
- The lighter outcome only covers touches made without intending to interfere unfairly; a deliberate block falls outside it, and the rule does not single out substitutes from the other named people, nor treat intent as usually irrelevant. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 9 §2 (Ball In Play))
- An unintentional touch by a temporarily off-pitch player fits this rule exactly, an indirect free kick and nothing more, not a dropped ball, not an added caution, and not simply continuing play. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 9 §2 (Ball In Play))
- This rule names four specific kinds of non-participating people, not every player and official, is not limited to the first period, and does not single out the team captain. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 9 §2 (Ball In Play))
- A sent-off player is one of the four people this rule names, so the outcome is simply an indirect free kick, not an added caution, not a second dismissal, and not treated as outside the rule entirely. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 9 §2 (Ball In Play))
- Law 9 gives injury or adjusting equipment as its own examples of being temporarily off the pitch, not a permanent substitution, a numerical-reduction penalty, or leaving to argue with an official. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 9 §2 (Ball In Play))
- This rule always ends in an indirect free kick, whichever of the three named situations applies, whereas a touch by a match official either leaves the ball in play or brings a dropped ball; both rules care where the ball was, one needing it to be clearly leaving, the other needing it to stay on the pitch. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 9 §1-2 (Ball Out of Play; Ball In Play))
- The rule is written around interference that is NOT intended to be unfair, so it excludes deliberate unfair interference specifically, not all interference regardless of intent, not only goal-scoring interference, and not one person type alone. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 9 §2 (Ball In Play))

### Test 5: The indoor pitch: ceiling height and the kick-in restart

- Competition rules stipulate the minimum ceiling height, not a single FIFA-wide figure, not the home club alone, and not an on-the-day measurement by the officials. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 9 §3 (Indoor Pitch))
- A ceiling hit while the ball is in play restarts with a kick-in, not a dropped ball, a goal clearance, or a corner kick. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 9 §3 (Indoor Pitch))
- The kick-in goes to the opponents of the last team to touch the ball, not that same team, not the leading side, and not the home team by default. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 9 §3 (Indoor Pitch))
- The kick-in is taken from the touchline point nearest the spot on the floor beneath where the ball hit the ceiling, not the centre mark, a corner arc, or the furthest touchline point. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 9 §3 (Indoor Pitch))
- The rule still points to the nearest touchline spot, even near a corner, not the corner arc itself, not a fallback to the centre mark, and not a goal-line point instead of the touchline. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 9 §3 (Indoor Pitch))
- The ceiling rule is for a ball that hits the ceiling while in play; once the referees have already stopped play, the ball is already out of play, so no separate kick-in follows, and the earlier stoppage's own restart applies instead. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 9 §3 (Indoor Pitch))
- Law 9 also fills in the ceiling hit's own restart details, not reversing that it is out of play, not changing the restart to a dropped ball, and not limiting it to extra time. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 9 §1 (Ball Out of Play); §3 (Indoor Pitch))
- Who last touched the ball directly decides who takes the kick-in, so it is not an either-team choice, not purely a record-keeping detail, and not conditional on also crossing a line. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 9 §3 (Indoor Pitch))
- The spot comes from where the event happened on the floor, while who takes it is a separate question about the teams; neither is decided by a nearby official, the match score, or the previous restart type. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 9 (whole Law))
- A dropped ball here follows Law 8's own possession-based rule, while a ceiling-hit kick-in goes specifically to the last-toucher's opponents; neither is decided by the scoreboard, a coin toss, or automatically going to whoever caused the stoppage. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 9 (whole Law))

Sources: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 9 (paraphrased in original wording; original questions authored from the Law, not reproduced)

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