By Mark Gleeson
June 10 (Reuters) – There is a raft of tweaks to the rules at the World Cup, which FIFA has brought in weeks ahead of the tournament, designed in particular to reduce time-wasting and expand the use of VAR.
“These amendments are aimed at combating discrimination, reducing time-wasting, improving the tempo of matches and enhancing the experience of players and fans,” FIFA explained.
Here are more details:
*If a referee believes a player or goalkeeper is taking too long to take a goal kick, they will begin a visible five-second countdown using their hand. If the ball has not been put back into play before the countdown expires, a corner kick will be awarded to the opposing team. The same procedure will apply to throw-ins.
*Any player who is being substituted will have 10 seconds to leave the field. If he fails to do so, the substitute must wait until the first stoppage in play occurring at least one minute later before entering. The same rule applies to injured players. Anyone receiving treatment on the field must leave the pitch and can only return at least one minute after play has restarted.
*Players may not cover their mouths during confrontations with opponents, and if one does so deliberately, he may be sent off. The change follows controversies such as the dispute involving Gianluca Prestianni and Vinicius Junior.
In February, the Real Madrid forward accused his Benfica opponent of making racist remarks, but because the player’s mouth was covered, no offence of racism could be proven.
*VAR can now review clearly unjustified second yellow cards, cases of mistaken identity, wrongly awarded corners and attacking fouls before free-kicks or corners that directly affect goals, penalties or disciplinary outcomes.
*A player who leaves the field in protest at a referee’s decision may receive a red card, and team officials who encourage players to leave the field in protest against a referee’s decision may also be sent off.
This follows the controversy at January’s Africa Cup of Nations final where Senegal walked off in protest at a penalty awarded against them in the last minute against hosts Morocco.
Senegal returned after 14 minutes, saw Morocco miss the spot kick and went on to win the match in extra time, only to be subsequently stripped of the title by the Confederation of African Football’s disciplinary appeal board.
(Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Ken Ferris)
Comments