rules of
etnoliga
read
before
you start

Main provisions

Etnoliga is organized by the Foundation for Freedom, based in Warsaw (00-384), Poland, ul. Dobra 5 / LU1.

Etnoliga is played in the spirit of fair play. All the participants create it and are responsible for it. We support and respect each other, care about the comfort and safety of other players. Rude, racist, sexist, homophobic behavior and other acts of discrimination are severely punished, including exclusion from the competition.

Participation in the league is free of charge, but the organizer reserves the right to collect a deposit, especially from new teams. Some one-off tournaments and activities may be charged.

Recruitment takes place via an online form on the website www.etnoliga.org, available in the section for the respective edition, within the specified timeframe. After verification by the organizer, the applicant receives confirmation of the team’s participation via WhatsApp or is asked to provide any missing information.

The scoring system, timing, and additional rules are established by the organizer in consultation with the representatives of the teams before the start of each competition.

Game rules

Unless otherwise indicated, matches are played according to basic football rules.

Sliding-tackles are prohibited. Each sliding-tackle will be penalized with a direct free-kick (a sliding-tackle in the penalty field will be penalized with a penalty-kick).

A direct free-kick is given to a team for a hand-play or foul.

An indirect free-kick is given to a team for: wasting time, dangerous tackling, double play by the same player according to the rules of football.

The number of substitutions allowed during a match is unlimited. Substitutions should be made in a designated zone of the pitch. Substitutions of goalkeepers should be reported to the referee beforehand.

Yellow card is given to a player who persistently violates the rules, does not keep the required distance from the ball during free kick, uses offensive language or swears, commits a major foul. The time of exclusion is 2 minutes (matches lasting no more than 15 minutes) or 3 minutes (matches over 15 minutes) and it is not reduced even when the team loses a goal.

A player is penalized with a red card for: committing (or trying to commit) a flagrant foul, insulting or spitting on another person, and using offensive language or gestures or is penalized with a second yellow card. A penalized player cannot return to the game or be replaced by another player in the match. The player is suspended in the next game unless the penalty results from two yellow cards.

A white card is awarded to a person for an outstanding fair play attitude, in particular for rejecting an advantage resulting from a referee’s error in a situation important for the result of the match, and for obvious and repeated gestures of respect towards people from the opposing team or actions aimed at counteracting unsportsmanlike behavior.

A separate fair play classification is conducted for players and teams: yellow card -1, red card -3, white card +2. In case of a second yellow card, a total of 3 points are deducted. For a yellow and then a direct red, a total of 4 points are deducted.

Walkover means verification of the match result to 0:5. If the goal difference at the end of the match is equal to or greater than 5 to the detriment of the penalized club, then the actual result of the match stands. A second walkover may result in expulsion from the competition (in such a case, all of the team’s previous results will be annulled).

League standings are determined in the following order: (T) Total points from both additional activities and match results; (P) Points earned in matches (3 for a win, 1 for a draw, 0 for a loss); (FP) Fair play ranking, (G) Goal difference; Number of goals scored, Head-to-head result between tied teams; Draw (if all other criteria remain equal).