The Boys’ and Girls’ football competitions at the Region 5 Games Maseru 2020 kick-off next week in what promises to be a thrilling festival of youth football.
The competitions will be run by COSAFA, and as such we have put together a handy guide as to the regulations of the tournaments, so you can be sure to always be ‘in the know’ as the events are played.
QUALIFICATION OF PLAYERS
All players in the Boys’ and Girls’ competitions must have been born between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2007. In accordance with CAF regulations, boys participating in the competition are subject to MRI scans in order to verify eligibility. Each squad will be limited to 20 players.
GROUP STAGE
As per usual, teams will get three points for a win, one for a draw and zero for a loss. The top two teams in each pool will advance to the semifinals in the Boys’ competition. The Girls’ tournament has just a single pool, and so at the end of the group stage, the team that finishes first will take on the fourth-placed side in the semifinals, and second will meet third.
If two Teams are equal on points, their ranking will be determined as follows in this order:
- a) Greater number of points obtained in the matches between the teams concerned (ie head-to-head)
- b) Goals difference in all group matches
- c) Greater number of goals scored in all the groups’ matches between the teams concerned
- d) Goals difference in all group matches
- e) Drawing of lots by the COSAFA Organising Committee.
In case of equality between three or more teams at the end of the group matches, the teams will be ranked according to the following criteria in the order listed below:
- a) The greatest number of points obtained in the matches between the teams concerned
- b) The goal difference in the matches between the teams concerned
- c) The greatest number of goals scored in the matches between the teams concerned
- d) If after applying criteria a to c, two teams are still equal, a to c criteria are again applied to matches played between the two teams in question to determine the final ranking of the two teams. If this procedure does not allow classifying them, the criteria listed below will be applied in the indicated order:
- e) The goals difference in all group matches
- f) The highest number of goals scored in all group matches
- g) A drawing of lots conducted by the Organizing Committee
STRAIGHT TO PENALTIES
In the event of a draw at the end of the regulation time in the semifinals or final, penalty kicks shall be taken to determine the winner. No extra-time shall be played in any of the knock-out matches.
SUBSTITUTIONS
Five substitutes may take part in a match, but they may only enter at a maximum of three intervals during a game. Therefore teams may not make substitutions at four separate occasions.
WATER BREAKS
Depending on the weather conditions, a water break may be implemented on a match-by-match basis, to be decided beforehand. Water breaks of a maximum of three minutes duration will be implemented by the referee at approximately 30 minutes into the run-of-play in both halves (i.e. around 30th and 75th minutes respectively).
DISCIPLINE
A player who has received two cautions in the tournament will be suspended from playing the next match of his/her team in the competition. A player expelled from the field of play by the referee will be suspended from playing the next match.
Yellow cards fall away at the completion of the group stage, except that if a player receives his/her second caution in the last match of the group phase, when the resulting suspension will carry over to the knock-out rounds. Similarly, a suspension resulting from a red card received in the last match of the group stage will carry over to the knock-out stage.
A player who is dismissed twice during the competition will be suspended for the remainder of the tournament.
TROPHIES & AWARDS
There will be a trophy each for the winners of the Boys’ and Girls’ competitions, while each player and technical team member will receive gold medals. Silver medals will be handed to the runners-up.
There will also be individual awards up for grabs in both competitions, namely Player of the Tournament, Golden Boot for top-scorer, Golden Glove for best keeper and the team Fair Play award.
TRIP OF A LIFETIME
LaLiga Santander will be affording one player each from the Boys’ and Girls’ competitions with the chance to sample the sights, sounds and soccer of Spain. The trip will see them train with an academy and hopefully watch a LaLiga match live, COVID-19 protocols allowing.
