In football, a turnover is a change of possession for the opposing team. It can be caused by several different rules. A penalty is called when a player violates one of them, such as throwing the ball out of bounds or touching the ground while passing. Depending on the situation, a penalty can move the ball either toward the offensive team’s endzone or away from the defense’s endzone. In many cases, a penalty can result in the player being ejected from the game.
The referee refers the game, and he also acts as the timekeeper. Other officials in soccer include two assistants who patrol the touchlines and signal when the ball goes out of play or a player is offside. In some cases, an official can add extra time to a match in order to determine a winner.
A team has at least four players on each side of the field. The offensive line, consisting of five players, protects the quarterback, clears the field for the running backs, and blocks players on the defense. The defensive line consists of three to six players, and tries to stop running backs and quarterbacks from scoring points.
Football is one of the most popular sports worldwide. Billions watch and play the game and there are hundreds of thousands of teams around the world. Those who love competition can participate in both amateur and professional leagues.