ETNOLIGA:
BASIC TOURNAMENT RULES. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE THE START 

Main provisions

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

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.

Number of players, transfers

Every team must include minimum 12 players. In each team there must be at least 4 nationalities and 4 women or non binary people.

At least two women or non-binary people must be on the field in each team at the same time. A team without the right number of women or non-binary people is playing shorthanded and is penalised 01 fair play point.

Player loans from other teams are not allowed. Each player may switch teams only once during the competition. Playing a match for a new team constitutes a permanent transfer.

Transfers can be done and new players can sign up before the start of the team’s last match in the round-robin phase.

If a person is found to have performed in violation of the regulations, the team is penalized -1 fair play point and the match is interrupted until unauthorized persons leave the pitch.

Any rule violations must be reported by the team captain to the referee during the match. Immediately after the game, the captain verifies the final score, goal scorers, disciplinary cards, and other relevant details.

Goals on loan do not count towards individual statistics.

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. Also, 3 fair play points are subtracted from the losing team.

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).

Final provisions

The participants are obliged to take care of the environment, in particular to use reusable dishes, not to waste water and to clean up after themselves.

The organiser is not responsible for any consequences of accidents, in particular sports injuries, theft and damage to personal belongings. All participants of our classes are covered by accident insurance (NNW) and can obtain compensation in the event of damage to health.

Any contentious issues are to be decided by the organiser in consultation with the referee and team captains, and their decisions are definitive.