Section 1: Tournament Management

All tournament sections will be bound by the rules as issued by the Tournament Management, The Sevens, and Emirates. Rules are subject to change by any of these entities at any time, in the interests of the tournament and the Health & Safety of participants.

Section 2: Tournament Structure

Each competition will have a distinct tournament structure. Please refer to the competition specific information for further details.

2.1 Pool Stage Matches:
The first round of games will be played in pools on a round robin basis. For composition of pools please see competition specific information. Following the pool round there will be knock-out rounds.

2.1.1 Play will consist of matches between teams in the same pool on a round-robin basis. Pool matches will be
eight (8) minutes each way with a two (2) minute halftime break.

2.1.2 All Pool Matches carry the following points:

• 3 points for a win
• 1 points for a draw
• 0 point for a loss
• 0 points for a no show, abandonment or referee disqualification

2.1.3 In the event of two or more teams being equal on competition points for any position in the pool table the
higher placed team will be determined on:

• The margin of goal difference in all pool matches shall be considered. The team with the highest positive margin of goal difference shall be ranked higher in the pool table. In the event that the tie remains unsolved then;
• The team that scores the most goals in all pool matches shall be ranked higher in the pool table.
  In the event that the tie remains unsolved then;
• The team that scores the most goals in all pool matches excluding their top scorer in all pool games shall be ranked higher in the pool table. In the event that the tie remains unsolved then;
• If teams are still tied after all the above, the winner will be decided by the toss of a coin between the Managers of the teams concerned.

2.2 Knock Out Stage Matches:
Following the completion of pool matches there will be knock-out finals stages. The draw will be based
upon the team positions in the pool tables. For details on the knockout stages please see the competition
specific information.

2.2.1 All quarterfinals, semi finals and the final will be played on a knock out basis.

2.2.2 All quarter finals and semi finals games will be eight (8) minutes each way with a two (2) minute
halftime break.

2.2.3 All finals will be ten (10) minutes each way with a two (2) minute halftime break.

2.2.4 In the event of a match being drawn at the end of normal time (in the knock out stages) five (5) minutes of
extra time will be played. The team that kicked off first in the match will do so again. The team which
scores first will be declared the winner and play will cease. In the event that he match is still drawn after
the five (5) minutes extra time the winner of the game will be decided by penalties on a ‘sudden
death basis’.

2.2.5 For all matches, should there be a clash of shirt colours the referee will call both team captains together
and toss a coin; the loser will change shirts.

2.2.6 Due to scheduling constraints play will continue as often as possible to avoid any delays. Referees will
penalise unnecessary delays as time wasting. All games are required to kick-off on time.

2.2.7 All teams are required to be at the allocated field and ready to start 5 minutes before the scheduled
kick-off time. Should a game not kick-off on time, the referee will shorten the match to enable it to finish on
time. The referee shall note on the match report which team was responsible for the match being
shortened, and the Tournament Manager may decide to deduct additional points from consistent offenders.

Section 3: Rules of the Tournaments

3.1 The rules of the tournaments, including their interpretation, are matters for the Dispute Committee. As
such The Tournament Management will appoint a Disputes Committee to arbitrate on all matters concerning
the rules of the tournaments. The Disputes Committee will be convened only in the event of an official
complaint being registered with the Tournament Management. In the event of any matters arising that are
not covered by the rules, or ambiguity of these rules, the Committee shall make a ruling after interpreting
the rules in the best interests of the game. Its decision shall be final, without appeal.

3.2 All the matches will be played in accordance with the Laws of the Game of Football 2009 (as published by
FIFA) and the rulings therein, together with all by-laws and directives of The Tournament Management.
The English text of the ‘FIFA Laws of The Game 2009’ together with exclusions from this Tournament
Manual shall be authoritative and final.

3.3 Variations:
The Tournament Management, The Sevens, and Emirates reserve the right, before and during the tournament, to make or vary rules and give directions as to the conduct of the tournament, the conduct of participating Clubs and each member of their team. All such rules and directions when made and communicated will become binding on the participating Clubs and each member of their team.

3.4 Eligibility:
Eligibility is a competition specific element of the rules. Please see competition specific information for further details. (Section 7).

3.5 Appointment of Officials
The Tournament Management shall appoint relevant Officials to:

• Tournament Disciplinary Programme;
• Match Referees, Touch Judges and all other necessary accredited personnel;
• Tournament Manager;
• Match Commissioner;
• Tournament Medical Officer (and support staff/structure);
• Media Liaison Manager.

3.6 Request by Officials:
All participating Clubs and each member of their team will comply with the reasonable requests of the tournament officials. Any failure to do so could result in a complaint being made to the Tournament Management and disciplinary action.

3.7 Abandonment:
If a team refuses to play or abandons a match in progress without the prior consent of the referee, that team will forfeit the match. The Disputes Committee will decide upon the further participation of that team in the tournament.
If a match is abandoned for any reason:
1. At halftime or any time in the second half, the result will stand.
2. During the first half, the result will be declared a draw.
An abandoned game result may be overturned by The Tournament Management if it is deemed that foul play has occurred.

3.8 DECLARATION OF SQUADS, TEAMS AND REPLACEMENTS:
Team squads registering for all individual sevens sections will consist of a maximum of twelve (12) players.

3.8.1 All twelve players are eligible to play in each match, but only 7 players must be on the field of play at
any time.

3.8.2 A player, having been registered in a team, irrespective whether he or she has taken part in the
tournament, cannot register or make themselves available for registration in any other team.

3.8.3 Each squad must register once with the Registration Office no later than one (1) hour before their first
game of the tournament. Each squad’s players must sign the Squad Registration Form.

3.8.4 Teams must register for each game with the Pitch Marshal at the pitch where the game is scheduled,
before play commences. All players must sign the Team Registration Form. Please note that all players’ signatures will be checked for each game.

3.8.5 Once the tournament has commenced, if a player is injured such that he/she cannot continue in the
tournament, there is no provision for replacing said injured player.

3.9 A score disputed after the match has finished must be brought to the attention of the official tournament
Scorer, situated in the Registration area, within 30 minutes of match completion.

Section 4: Understanding the Laws of the Game

4.1 All players are expected to have a basic understanding of the laws of the game of Football and have
physical competency and fitness to play the game.

Section 5: Player Insurance

5.1 It is advised that all players must obtain their own medical insurance to cover any/all medical support they
may require while they are participating in the tournament.

5.2 Tournament Management, The Sevens, or Emirates accept no liability or financial responsibility for injuries
or accidents sustained during the course of the tournament by any player, official or supporter.

Section 6 Substitutions, Replacements and stoppages

6.1 Substitutions must be made by the player currently on the field of play leaving the pitch, before the
replacement player is allowed to enter the field of play.

6.2 Teams may use all eligible players during a game. All players are allowed to be substituted on an
unlimited basis.

6.3 There will be no stoppages for injuries unless they are serious enough and therefore require the game to
be stopped whilst the player(s) are removed from the field of play.

Section 7: Judicial and Disciplinary Committee

7.1 For persistent or deliberate fouls or other infringement the referee may issue a Yellow Card to a player.

7.2 If a player in the tournaments receives 2 yellow cards during the tournament he will be excluded from his
teams next game. (i.e. the yellow cards could be from different games).

7.3 Rule 7.2 will be applied to any subsequent card (red or yellow) that is received by the player.

7.4 Should the referee consider the infringement to be more serious a player may be issued a Red Card and
will be dismissed from the field of play and will take no further part in the game. A dismissed player cannot
be replaced. A player receiving a Red Card during a game will be excluded from his teams next game.

7.5 Should a referee consider that a player that has been issued with a red card is guilty of serious
misconduct, that player will take no further part in the tournament until after a Tournament Management Judicial and Disciplinary hearing has been conducted.

Section 8: Rules Regarding Eligibility

Eligibility
In order to participate in the Emirates Airline Dubai Football 7s Tournament, teams must provide proof that their players are eligible to compete in the section for which they are entered. Therefore, if you are competing in a Vets or youth age group section, a passport copy will be required as proof of age. If you are competing in a Local section, proof of residency will be required. More information regarding proof of eligibility will be forwarded prior to the tournament. Proof of player eligibility will be required when registering players prior to the first day of competition.
For all sections, a full squad list of up to 15 players (inclusive of up to 3 reserves), will be required by the tournament management 7 days before the tournament.

If there is uncertainty as to which section your team should play, please contact the Tournament Manager for further guidance.

The competition is split in to fourteen separate sections and each section has it’s own eligibility rules, they are;
DAFL Amateur Men – Clubs and players must be member of DAFL as of March 1st 2010
Open Amateur Men – Players and clubs must be of amateur status. Players must have not played or tried for a professional club from 1st August 2009.
Open Amateur Ladies – Minimum Age of 14 at 1st September 2009.
Open Corporate Men - Adult male employees from a single corporate entity.
Open Amateur Men Vets (Over 35s) - Men aged 35yrs or over on 1st September 2009.
Local Amateur Men Social - Non-regular players who are UAE resident, or visa under process.
Open Under 18s – Players must be under 18yrs on 31st August 2009
Open Under 16s – Players must be under 16yrs on 31st August 2009
Open Under 15s – Players must be under 15yrs on 31st August 2009
Open Under 13s – Players must be under 13yrs on 31st August 2009
Open Under 11s – Players must be under 11yrs on 31st August 2009
Open Under 9s – Players must be under 9yrs on 31st August 2009

Eligibility Documents Required
This table summarises which documents MUST be submitted for each team member WITH the team registration form, once individual team players are finalised. Note – Eligibility documentation MUST be submitted with accreditation information which will be required at least 14 days before the start of the tournament. Details regarding accreditation will be forwarded to teams in February.

Section	Resident Visa	Passport Copy for Proof of Age
Professional Invitational		X
Legends Invitational		X
DAFL Amateur Men		X
Open Amateur Men		X
Open Amateur Ladies		X
Open Corporate Men		X
Open Amateur Men Vets (Over 35s)		X
Local Amateur Men Social	X	X
Open Under 18s, 16s, 15s, 13s, 11s, 9s		X

Eligibility is subject to the Tournament Management’s discretion. The Tournament Management has the right to move a team to another tournament section should they see fit.