ZURICH (7-14-98) - With or without walls? According to an article by Keith Cooper in the October, 1996, FIFA Magazine, an argument for the use of dasherboards in FIFA indoor soccer was considered and then rejected.
Cooper said advocates of sidewalls based their
argument on the success of this brand of indoor soccer in the U.S., where indoor leagues
have enjoyed greater popularity, in some cases, than outdoor soccer. The proponents of
sidewalls argued further that the majority of the followers of indoor soccer in the U.S.
had grown up with the dasherboard version, playing the game with rebounds off the walls of
gyms and improvised courts.
(Photo: Action from 1992 Futsal World Championship in Hong Kong. Courtesy FIFA.)
Proponents of side and end lines countered that if soccer is taken indoors, it should be properly configured as a version reduced from the basic outdoor game instead of being a completely different sport.
Cooper went on to say that FIFA concluded that it would reject the random tactic of kicking the ball against the walls and maintain the concept that the ball goes out of bounds over the side and end lines. As a result, the players would not rely on the gimmick of playing the ball against the wall in order to avoid an opponent. The necessity of keeping the ball in play obligated the players to be more precise in their touches and passes, reducing, at the same time, the risk of injury.
Despite the fact that the first experiments, particularly in Budapest in 1986, were not totally conclusive, the decision to include Futsal as a part of the worldwide soccer movement received a strong impetus, Cooper wrote.
The first World Championship of Futsal played in Holland in January of 1989 was the decisive moment. Given the stamp of authority as a FIFA event, the event established new rules for the five-a-side soccer and sent the message: if you want to win a world Futsal championship, you must play by the rules of FIFA.
The U.S. indoor leagues opted to continue applying their own regulations. However, in Europe and other parts of the world, the majority accepted the regulations of FIFA.