Unwritten Rules of Football

The referee must only blow for full time when the ball is mid-air after a long goal kick or free kick.

When a player scores a goal that brings his team to one goal behind, he must wrestle with the goalkeeper to get the ball back quickly.

Goals are not allowed to be celebrated unless they are equalisers or they put you in the lead.

When the ball is up in the air in the box, players are not allowed to jump for the ball with the goalkeeper even though the keeper has the advantage of being able to use his hands.

Any more?

Even though Aresnal are out of every major competition and are 20 points behind us in the league they still play the best football in europe.

That's a football myth rather than a rule but true nonetheless.

Originally Posted by TreeFiddy

The referee must only blow for full time when the ball is mid-air after a long goal kick or free kick.

When a player scores a goal that brings his team to one goal behind, he must wrestle with the goalkeeper to get the ball back quickly.

Goals are not allowed to be celebrated unless they are equalisers or they put you in the lead.

When the ball is up in the air in the box, players are not allowed to jump for the ball with the goalkeeper even though the keeper has the advantage of being able to use his hands.

Any more?

Very good.

If a player spurns a good chance, he must look down and carefully examine the pitch, just so everyone knows he got a bad bounce.

Footballers are the only members of the human race to have defied physics and develop the ability to 'hang' in the air.

Apparently, Denis Law's DNA is closer to that of a hovercraft than a human.

When a player who is in contract negotiations scores a goal, he must run to his own fans gesticulating wildly at the club crest on his shirt.

Ronney has to be caught on camera every match calling the ref a @#%&!/#@&%!/@#%&!

After failing to score you must blow all the snot out of your nasal passages when the camera is on you.

When a player is walking away from the ref with his back turned when the ref calls him over and wants a word, no matter how many times the ref calls him and blows his whistle, it will be the ref himself who actually walks over to the player to give him a talking to.

when a player shoots, the ball ''gains speed'' when it comes into contact with a wet pitch

If a ref waves play on after a foul, he will definitely go back and book the player who committed the original foul, regardless of whether it merited it or not, just so everyone knows he's not forgotten about it.

Managers must chew gum at all times in close-up shots in injury time.

The assistant coach must be equipped with a blank piece of paper on which he can pretend to show a substitute a snapshot of the opposition's tactical formation.

On scoring a hat-trick, the player must exit the pitch with the match ball stuffed under his shirt.

I like that one poppy.

Players warming up along the touchline must always put their hands behind their backs and kick their heels up to touch them, even though they never do this in training or at any other time.

Hear comes the magic sponge.

If it was that magic it would fly to the player, administer treatment itself, and not sit in a cold bucket of water all day.

When substituted, players must clap with their hands above their head as they walk off.

If a team is winning in injury time, they must substitute the player furthest from the dug-out. Said player must pretend not to notice for 1 full minute, then take another 2 full minutes to exit the playing field.

When a player has conceded a free-kick, he must pick up the ball and run several yards, before dropping it behind him without looking.

Searching for a late equaliser in extra time from a corner, the goalkeeper should sprint into the opposition penaly box even if he is the shortest man on the pitch and has never connected with a header in his life.

When a player gives away a penalty, it doesn't matter how obvious and cynical it was, he MUST argue with the ref that it was never a penalty.

Obvious one, but happens all the time and is quite ridiculous when you think about it.

Originally Posted by Zorg

When a player has conceded a free-kick, he must pick up the ball and run several yards, before dropping it behind him without looking.

Very good. Similarly, he will do the same thing when he picks the ball up for a throw-in but finds it has been awarded to the other team.

All throw-ins must be taken at least 5 yards further up the pitch than where they went out. The referee is allowed to tell the player off, but only after he has exceeded the token 5 yard limit.

When players are gathering in the box before a corner, even if the corner taker is no where near ready to take it or there is a substitution being made, the two teams' players must grapple and run around for space in the box as if the corner is imminent.