Beachsoccer therefore appears to be the perfect mix between the two and it is therefore quite logical that the first official tournaments of this sport have started in Brazil, which, as also reported on the BSB.com.br website, has origins far beyond the years , as a classic game for kids on beaches all over the world.
History of Beachsoccer
The first official Beachsoccer tournament broadcast on television started in 1994 on the very white sand of Copacabana and soon, in 1995, the World Championship of this discipline was established, won, needless to say, by the hosts in Verdeoro uniform. The success of this event led several European countries to create in 1998 an all-European league (Euro Beach Soccer League), made up of Italy, Spain, France and Portugal.
The success of this sport culminated in the recognition of FIFA as a competitive discipline in all its aspects. For its natural "fun" streak, Beachsoccer has often lent itself to ad hoc events, in which great players of the past took part as official players of the National teams, such as Cantona or Romario. More statistics on GPC.
Beachsoccer, the rules
The official Beachsoccer Regulation, common to the Federations participating in national and international events, mainly lays its foundations on the 18 rules already adopted for Five-a-side football and for Football in general. Each team is made up of five players on the pitch, including the goalkeeper, and can welcome 3 to 5 substitutes on the bench, depending on the competition.
The substitutions are unlimited, as is the case for Five-a-side football and are controlled by the two referees who preside over the match. The match is divided into 3 periods of 12 minutes and the players have a 3-minute break between one time and another: the total time of the match is therefore 36 minutes.
There is no draw in Beachsoccer, so in case of a tie at the end of the regular time, extra time lasting 3 minutes will be played with the Golden Goal rule. Another substantial difference compared to football is that free kicks are always direct and do not require the use of the barrier: free kicks must be beaten by the player who has been fouled.
Finally, it is good to specify that the goalkeeper can pick up the ball with his hands within his penalty area; in addition, Beachsoccer is played barefoot, so the use of any type of footwear is not considered compliant with the regulation. The pitch is normally a 37x28 m rectangle, but there are limit measures that can be reached; obviously, as the name of the discipline says, it is played on sand. The lines, the flags and the nets follow in all aspects the standard measures of Fussal.