FIFA are set to increase the length of time injured players must remain off the field of play, among a number of rule changes designed to combat time-wasting.
Dale Johnson reports for the BBC that FIFA are proposing that players who receive treatment for an injury must spend one minute off the pitch, with the proposal set for approval at the International Football Association Board AGM on Saturday.
The laws of the game don’t currently specify how long an injured player must remain off the pitch, leaving it up to individual competitions to set their own rules. The Premier League have gone with 30 seconds, with other leagues like the MLS opting for as long as two minutes.
But the plan now is to introduce a fixed period for all competitions, and it looks like being a compromise at one minute. That’s twice as long as the Premier League’s current rules, but half as long as the longest proposals.
Johnson adds that IFAB are set to approve a number of other anti-time-wasting measures, including new countdown measures for goal-kicks and throw-ins.
This season, a rule was introduced that goalkeepers are only allowed to hold the ball for eight seconds, and if they fail to release it then possession swaps to the opposing team via a corner.
The new rules will extend that same system to apply to goal-kicks and throw-ins as well, again switching possession to the other team if the restart takes too long. Though it’s not clear exactly how long a team will get in those cases.
Eight seconds seems a little short for goal-kicks, as the ball often has to be retrieved and the team need to take up positions around the pitch.
Another major change is a 10-second limit for substitutions. If the substitution takes too long, the substitute won’t be allowed to come on until the next stoppage, a minimum of one minute later.
Barring any late changes of heart, all of the above proposals should be approved this weekend. The expectation is that they’ll then be implemented at this summer’s World Cup.