Several new laws have been enacted in football in recent years aimed at reducing wasted time, and a new rule could soon appear that would require injured players to leave the field for one minute if medical staff intervenes for treatment.
Sources in French newspaper L’Equipe say FIFA has been trying to combat the wasting of time in the final minutes for years.
During the Qatar World Cup, referees were asked to extend stoppage time. A new rule has also been introduced that requires opponents to be awarded a corner kick if a goalkeeper holds possession of the ball for more than eight seconds before play resumes, and was already applied in the English Premier League match between Chelsea and Burnley.
IFAB, which governs the game’s rules, said a new law could be voted on at the next annual general meeting that would require injured players to leave the field of play for at least one minute before returning to action after medical intervention. Previous discussions had talked about a maximum of two minutes, but this length was disputed.
Exceptions are being considered, such as for goalkeepers and penalty kick takers, where a player may not be forced to send off if the person who caused the injury is punished with a yellow or red card. The main purpose is to prevent fake injuries from being exploited and wasting time.
It is also expected that the law relating to video refereeing technology will be amended to allow referees to consider issuing a second yellow card, which has not been allowed until now and has sparked great controversy.
Tests for the so-called Wenger offside law, in which a player is considered offside only if he passes the last defender with his entire body, could begin in April when the Canadian League resumes, and could be applied more widely later, despite opposition from some federations that see it as a fundamental change.
Several new laws have appeared in football in recent years aimed at reducing wasted time, and a new rule could soon be introduced requiring injured players to be off the field for one minute if medical staff intervene to treat them.
Sources in France’s L’Equipe say FIFA has been trying to combat the wasting of time in the final minutes for years.
During the Qatar World Cup, referees were held responsible for extended stoppage time. There will also be a new rule, which was already introduced in the Premier League match between Chelsea and Burnley, which will award the opposing team a corner kick if the goalkeeper holds possession of the ball for more than eight seconds before play resumes.
IFAB, which regulates the game’s rules, said the next annual general meeting could vote on a new law that would require injured players to leave the field of play for at least one minute after medical intervention before returning to action. Previous discussions suggested a maximum of two minutes, but the length of time was disputed.
Exceptions are being considered, such as for goalkeepers and penalty takers, where players may not be forced to send off if an opponent who causes an injury is given a yellow or red card penalty. The main purpose is to prevent people from exploiting fake injuries to waste time.
Legislation regarding video assistant referee (VAR) technology is also expected to be amended, allowing referees to consider handing out a second yellow card, which had previously been disallowed and sparked widespread debate.
The so-called Wenger offside rule, in which a player’s entire body is considered offside only if it extends past the last defender, could be tested in April with the Canadian League in mind, and could later be applied more broadly, despite opposition from some federations that see it as a fundamental change.
