Why you can't score an own goal from a free-kick and four other bizarre football rules

dailystar.co.uk:

Daily Star Sport has taken a look at five of the most unfamiliar pages of the rule book, one of which might just give Aston Villa fans some flashbacks to a certain 2002 nightmare.

One strange rule, that is not very often put to the test, is that you cannot score an own goal from your own free-kick.Rules state that should the ball go directly into a team's own goal from a free-kick, then it will be awarded as a corner to the opposing team, as if it had crossed the touchline either side of the goal.The FA rule states: "If a direct or indirect free kick is kicked directly into the team's own goal, a corner kick is awarded." Have you ever seen someone sent off before kick-off?

Tell us in the comments section On a rare occasion in which tempers boil over before the match has begun, the referee reserves the right to show red cards to both players and coaching staff.There are a few rules that describe what must happen next, including to what extend they must be excluded from proceedings.For a player who is sent off, the rules state: "After being named on the team list and before kick-off (the player) may be replaced by a named substitute, who can not be replaced; the number of substitutions the team can make is not reduced."Should a team get to the end of extra-time with only nine players, the other side will be forced to cut players from their own penalty schedule.In that case, two players would have to sit out, making sure that after nine were taken, the shootout starts again with those who took the first two.That could come as a benefit to the side who finished with a full 11 on the pitch, allowing them to leave out two players who were not keen on facing the pressure.In a similar rule to the first on the list, it is not.