Football’s governing body for the laws of the game has approved sweeping changes designed to combat time-wasting, with the regulations set to take effect from 1 June in time for this summer’s World Cup.
The International Football Association Board (IFAB) has introduced a visual countdown system targeting delays at throw-ins and goal kicks.
Under the new framework, officials will trigger a five-second timer whenever they judge that play is being unnecessarily held up.
Teams failing to return the ball to play before the countdown expires will face immediate consequences: opponents will receive possession for throw-in violations, whilst delayed goal kicks will result in corners being awarded to the attacking side.
The regulations threaten to eliminate the increasingly popular long-throw tactic that has become a feature of English top-flight football.
Statistics gathered before this weekend’s matches reveal that Premier League games have lost an average of 10 minutes and 43 seconds to delays preceding throw-ins during the current campaign.
This represents a significant increase from the previous season, when the corresponding figure stood at 8 minutes and 49 seconds.
Football’s governing body for the laws of the game has approved sweeping changes designed to combat time-wasting, with the regulations set to take effect from 1 June in time for this summer’s World Cup
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PA
Not all of this lost time can be attributed solely to slow restarts, as substitutions, VAR reviews and injury stoppages also contribute to the delays.
However, the nearly two-minute rise strongly indicates that prolonged throw-in preparations have been the main driver behind the increase.
The countdown mechanism will extend beyond set-pieces to cover player substitutions as well.
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Outgoing players will be required to depart the pitch within 10 seconds of the substitution board being displayed.
Should they fail to meet this deadline, their replacement will be barred from entering the field until after the first stoppage that occurs following one minute of regular play.
These measures build upon existing rules already in operation this season regarding goalkeepers holding the ball excessively.
Burnley’s Martin Dubravka became the inaugural player to fall foul of these regulations in August, when he retained possession for more than eight seconds against Tottenham Hotspur and subsequently conceded a corner.
Beyond the time-wasting crackdown, IFAB has sanctioned an expansion of VAR’s authority to address officiating errors.
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Referees will now be permitted to intervene when a yellow card has clearly been issued to the wrong team, with similar provisions applying to red cards arising from an evidently mistaken second booking.
Certain competitions may also allow VAR to examine incorrectly awarded corners, provided such reviews can be conducted without holding up play.
The governing body has additionally announced plans to tackle the issue of players obscuring their mouths during on-pitch confrontations, a response prompted by the ongoing racism investigation involving Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior and Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni.
Trials addressing tactical stoppages caused by goalkeeper treatment are also planned.
