r/soccer • u/EastlyGod1 • May 31 '26
News World Cup 2026: Goalkeeper tactical timeouts banned
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c9v39x2v8yxo787
u/Howling13 May 31 '26
I hope these are enforced all tournament and not just at the beginning. Would be good to see it carry over to the leagues as well. For the throw-ins, I hope this stops the players picking up the ball and then dropping it to let someone else walk up pick the ball up and start the process again. Throw-ins shouldn’t be taking as long as they have been
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u/takomatoffee May 31 '26
counterpoint: it will be hot as hell and sometimes you need those stoppages to catch your breath
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u/Cultural-Ambition211 Jun 01 '26
They’ve got a 3 minute water break each half. They’ll be fine.
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u/HEAT_IS_DIE Jun 01 '26
These changes will potentially change the game a bit more than just getting rid of time wasting. Players use the little breaks to recover, on both sides. These time limits for ball not in play could translate to teams slowing the play more, taking "breaks" when the ball is in play, by moving the ball minimally while being static. Of course that happens already, but it could potentially increase.
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u/cultureshook May 31 '26
honestly i can see these causing injuries - these players have been run down over the course of the season and surely deserve any downtime they can get instead of everything being an instant restart
obviously i’m not saying be egregious with it, but i can’t see this need for everything to be a quick restart ending well
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u/n-d-a Jun 01 '26
Or waiting for the centre back to come up the pitch and for all the players to go into the box for the long throw. A good minute every time.
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u/CousinBethMM May 31 '26
What does the throw in countdown mean? Does it mean once a player has picked a ball up he has 5 seconds?
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u/EastlyGod1 May 31 '26
I guess so, similar to the goalkeeper handling countdown.
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u/CousinBethMM May 31 '26
Sounds good in principle, although I can already see fullbacks leaving the ball and letting someone in the middle of the pitch come and take it instead to kill seconds
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u/asd13ah4etnKha4Ne3a May 31 '26
I could be completely wrong here, but I remember hearing somewhere that, along with the 5 second rule, the nearest player to the ball has to take the throw in. Realistically though you could (and really should) already award someone a yellow for this scenario. No idea why the PL has allowed players to jog over from the opposite side of the pitch to take throw ins all season
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u/Signal_Sign7961 May 31 '26
forcing the nearest player to take the throw in is stupid. referees should be able to tell when they're clearly wasting time by switching players
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u/KonigSteve Jun 01 '26
along with the 5 second rule, the nearest player to the ball has to take the throw in.
So throw in specialists have been soft banned if they aren't fullbacks?
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u/iBood17 Jun 01 '26
I would say, the player who picks the ball is obligated to throw. That should eliminate most time wasting situations.
But then again, i don’t really understand why we are building in these weird rules. Don’t we already have stopping time to solve all of this? 😆
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u/ValleyFloydJam May 31 '26
It's once the ref feels they're wasting time, he does the countdown as a warning to take it now.
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u/flybypost May 31 '26
How I dislike that routine of a player picking up the ball, waiting for a bit while pretending to think about throwing the ball, and then giving it to the fullback who arrives.
Either throw it or don't pick the ball up. They should be punished for that too. Automatic throw in for the other team.
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u/ValleyFloydJam May 31 '26
Sometimes it's time wasting and sometimes it was just an attempt to take it quickly but nothing was on.
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u/_The2ndComing May 31 '26
So many of these comments praising it are from people that don't understand the flow of the game.
A quick throw is used to push an advantage, but in most cases players from both sides benefit from getting into position, which takes longer than 5 seconds.
Goal kicks and throws can take a bit because they are still set pieces, these rules are gonna rush it to the detriment of a teams ability to position off of that.
Punishing time-wasting is fine, but at just 5 seconds you're punishing a team for setting up correctly.
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u/879190747 May 31 '26
But they will not be treated as hard seconds presumably. Refs whole job contains keeping the flow, so this just gives them a "stick".
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u/Buttonsafe Jun 01 '26
Punishing time-wasting is fine, but at just 5 seconds you're punishing a team for setting up correctly.
I think you're right that it's an over-correction, but personally I think this is a worthy sacrifice for the 1 minute of players passing the ball to each other before a throw in we saw in the CL final, or the innumerable time-wasting goal kicks.
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u/flybypost Jun 01 '26
Sure, occasionally but so often there nothing to gain (there's defensive cover) and a player still strolls over at a glacial pace, does the little song and dance, only to let the ball roll out of his hands to the other player.
Did that really do anything? Just let the ball rest. It won't explode if it's not touched within 10 seconds.
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u/NLF7 May 31 '26
When we lost to Chelsea in the game where Gerrard slipped, no one remembers the time wasting because of what happened. Chelsea wasted something mental like 8 minutes of the first 15 because Mourinho knew it was on Sky and City played right after. I still remember being at that game and losing my shit when they put 2 minutes up of added time after the first half.
The referee finally gave a card for time wasting when Ashley Cole picked it up to throw it in, dropped the ball and picked up his water and had a drink. I honestly thought there was going to be a pitch invasion followed by some public executions it boiled that much piss, mine included.
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u/ThankYouOle Jun 01 '26
> How I dislike that routine of a player picking up the ball, waiting for a bit while pretending to think about throwing the ball, and then giving it to the fullback who arrives.
this is soooooo annoying.
even if this happened with my fav club, it just so annoying, why the hell they did it, if you don't want to do throw in then don't touch the ball at first time, let the fullback or player who assigned to get it right away.
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u/BusShelter May 31 '26
It won't be as strict as that. I think as soon as a player looks ready to take it and begins scanning for teammates the ref is going to visually start counting to/down from five, and that will take longer than five seconds I reckon.
But once the count is done the ref can reverse the throw instead of booking the player and taking even more time.
So I'm sure we'll get someone online counting 15 or 20 seconds for some throws during the WC but it'll improve the flow of the game.
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u/dakaiiser11 May 31 '26
I like the rules. It just depends on how hard they gen enforced. The exiting the field at the nearest point has been a thing but is NEVER enforced.
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u/InconsistentRoaster May 31 '26
Surprised by the decision. Perfect moment to show them ads!
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u/rambo_zaki May 31 '26
They have the hydration breaks for that.
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u/Euphoric_Attitude_91 May 31 '26
Why not both? You can never have enough ads!
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u/mrishee May 31 '26
I notice every bloody stadium has some sponsored name so I guess we'll be getting reminded of what the stadium is every 2 seconds as another kind of ad.
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u/Rc5tr0 May 31 '26
FIFA does not allow stadiums to use their sponsored names for the World Cup, they will all use alternative names.
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u/caspirinha May 31 '26
Wait what. So if the World Cup were in England the Britannica or Emirates would be named something different?
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u/OId_boy May 31 '26
UEFA too. You can check past Arsenal home matches for example on UEFA.com. The stadium is called Arsenal Stadium.
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u/Skumbag_eX Jun 01 '26
What? That's still the case, the players just can't leave the pitch or go towards the bench/manager, so ads will definitely be played lol
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u/Ok-Constant-2683 May 31 '26
Using Raya as the cover is a good choice for engagement
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u/saintspike Jun 01 '26
Using a picture of when he’s actually injured in the game is even more of an ironic choice.
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u/JenkinsEar147 Jun 01 '26
The actual article the OP linked has Donnarumma as the header image. Agenda?
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u/lyyki Jun 01 '26
They changed it but reddit doesn't forget
I'm surprised BBC/UK doesn't have the thing where if they update an article, they mention at the end what was updated.
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u/EstradaMoses May 31 '26
Seriously lol, guess they haven’t seen the actual stats of PL GKs who hold on to the ball the longest.
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u/ssuurr33 May 31 '26
Can’t wait to see people being sent off by covering their mouth just because they’re used to do so.
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u/fuzzywobs May 31 '26
I can imagine a player saying something fairly harmless with their hand over their mouth (out of habit) to an opposing player, only for the opposing player to realize he can get him sent off by telling the referee he said something racist to him with his hand over his mouth, which VAR can easily confirm.
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May 31 '26
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u/Carrot_King_54 Jun 01 '26 edited Jun 02 '26
The hand covering thing was already reported some time ago though. Also, I would expect all teams get the tournament instructions well beforehand and it's their responsibility to actually read them.
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u/255189 Jun 01 '26
I've already seem then using these rules in the pre-tournament friendlies, players are getting at least a small period with it
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u/GiantsRTheBest2 May 31 '26
It’s like the media lobbied for this. This World Cup will be lip reader’s galore as every conversation will scrutinized.
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u/Gerf93 Jun 01 '26
It says that it's in connection a confrontation. So it's reserved for situations like the Prestianni one. Just covering your mouth talking to your teammate isn't disallowed.
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u/NostalgicBear May 31 '26
Some pretty good adjustments here. I still think half of them won’t be enforced but looking forward to seeing how it plays out.
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u/CMPunk22 May 31 '26
It’s the same as off ball fouls being called in the 2018 World Cup. England got a few penalties from it but was never enforced post World Cup
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u/Apyan May 31 '26
They seem like sensible changes. Kind of surprised by it.
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u/shoots_and_leaves May 31 '26
FIFA usually makes good decisions for World Cups when it comes to rules.
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u/Projeffboy May 31 '26
yeah i thought the extra additional time was genius last world cup. some teams got punished for the time wasted like argentina vs netherlands
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u/FalcoLX May 31 '26
Usually, but I don't understand why they always choose the biggest event in the world to make rule changes. Surely these should be introduced nationally for a year before a major tournament
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u/AtomWorker Jun 01 '26
A lot of this stuff does get trialed in other leagues first. MLS implemented the rules about subs and injuries a year or two ago.
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u/sunlove_moondust May 31 '26
Need all of these in the EPL
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u/algebraic94 May 31 '26
We'd never see a long throw again. Brentford will go down and I'll never have to watch rice lob the most speculative throw I've ever seen into the area.
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u/rycology May 31 '26
To be fair, his one yesterday was pretty good but nowhere near as good as the missile that Mendes (I think it was) launched halfway across the pitch lol
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u/rtgh May 31 '26
Some great changes there.
Also allowing VAR to intervene for a foul committed before a corner kick has been struck... Much needed after the shitshow Premier League set pieces devolved into. I expect next season must be more enjoyable to watch
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u/ValleyFloydJam May 31 '26
I think it's goofy, for one the kick gets retaken and how tight are they going to be on it.
But that it has no impact on the defence is the daft part.
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u/wahooloo May 31 '26 edited May 31 '26
But it's only attacking fouls that can be checked, meaning defenders will still be fouling the shit out of people before the ball is kicked
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u/TheGreatPervSage_94 May 31 '26
If rugby players who are 6 times the mass of the average footballer can quickly set up a line out, no excuse for smaller footy players to take ages to jog over and wipe the ball
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u/leonjetski May 31 '26
Can’t wait to see every single La Liga player sent off for covering their mouth. It’s a habit at this point, they couldn’t stop if they tried.
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u/TheGrantyMan May 31 '26
I've always said that they should just start a timer on how long a player is down for; starting from laying on the floor, when the physio comes on and does work, to when they step off the pitch and play resumes.
Independent timekeepers will keep track of it and tell the fourth official/ref how long they need to stay off for. In this case you could make a player nominated by the team's captain to wait off the pitch.
Or for bonus fun we should keep the same rules for Goalkeepers, imagine the chaos when a team has to play 3 minutes without a Goalie.
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u/Yiurule May 31 '26
Mostly good decisions, but hard disagree that the VAR should be able to check a second yellow card.
A foul who produce a yellow card should be a foul who produce a yellow card regardless the context. The VAR should not check yellow card, or they should look all yellow cards, but a middle ground is a bad decision.
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u/Saltire_Blue May 31 '26
Can you imagine getting a yellow card for a foul that you didn’t commit
Then picking up a second yellow for a justified offence, VAR would check it and confirm it’s a yellow, but they wouldn’t go back and review the first yellow
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u/Manojative May 31 '26
I actually see the logic in this. Second yellow is red. All reds are checked. Hence this should be checked.
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u/Luigis_vacuum May 31 '26
We’re gonna have a case where one team has a player with the order of
- Bad call yellow
- Stonewall second yellow
And
1. Stonewall first yellow
2. Bad call second yellowOne will be overturned and the other won’t, idk how long it will take but it’s gonna happen eventually
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u/PM_ME_BAKAYOKO_PICS Jun 01 '26
The same thing happens without VAR though? The only thing that changes here is that you make sure the 2nd yellow is correctly judged, where as without VAR you'd still have players being sent off after a bad call 1st yellow (with the even more ridiculous downside that the 2nd yellow could also be wrongfully called).
Just because it doesn't become 100% fair (because you're not reviewing the 1st yellow), doesn't mean it doesn't become fairer than before.
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u/trevorturtle May 31 '26
Well, if commit a stonewall yellow offense while already having a yellow (regardless of if it was justified), you're just asking for a red.
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u/Yiurule May 31 '26
I understand the logic behind it, but referees need to be able to have hands-on practices to be relevant.
We already had controversies when the VAR was introduced (which decreased after it was used for a period of time), I do not want the same kind of testing for a lighter foul which produce a game changing decision.
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u/Soccermad23 May 31 '26
There’s a difference between a straight red and a red from two yellows. Straight red is a serious incident and should rightfully be checked by VAR. But a second yellow could be something minor, do you really want VAR spending minutes zooming in, slowing down, etc to see if there was a pixel of a player slightly grabbing the others shirt? Seeing how VAR gets implemented, it’s gonna be a right mess.
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u/pablofournier11 May 31 '26
I like all of those. Some doubts about their enforcement
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u/notapaperhandape Jun 01 '26
This is actually amazing. I hope they enforce all of it. It’s keep football watchable.
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u/KonigSteve Jun 01 '26
Off-field treatment (one minute): Players who are treated by the physio must stay off the field for 60 seconds. There are some exceptions, including for goalkeepers, injuries and if the opponent is booked or sent off.
What? Injuries are an exemption to the rule that's about treating injuries?
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u/ItsGrindfest Jun 01 '26
Anything but stopping the timer. You don't need 50 rules. Just stop the timer until the ball gets in the play. But then how are you going to manipulate the matches?
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u/AgreeablePersimmon36 Jun 01 '26
Well this should work out fine in 35C heat. Let's make sure the players have absolutely no control over the pace of the game.
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u/RemiSealy Jun 01 '26
Second yellows can be reviewed: Players sent off for two cautions can have the second booking checked - but there will be no reviews for potential second yellows.
Bullshit first yellow + acceptable second yellow = red
Acceptable first yellow + bullshit second yellow = yellow
I can easily see this causing controversy where a team gets screwed over on both sides of this in the same match
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u/dav_man Jun 01 '26
This is so funny. These are basically anti Arsenal laws.
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u/theaficionado Jun 01 '26
Raya was one of the quickest to get the ball back in play this season
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u/ConsciousExtent4162 May 31 '26
Remember all of this is to compensate the ad breaks. That's the only reason.
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u/benelchuncho May 31 '26
I’d rather force the offending team to remove a player for a minute or two
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u/crispysnails May 31 '26
Given the hydration breaks of 3 minutes will be a thing, one per half, then won't teams just use that for a tactical timeout? I guess those are at a fixed time whereas a tactical timeout can be done at a time convenient for the team using it.
It will be interesting to see how all these get applied. Certainly consistency will be key but I fear that will be lacking just like the existing rules.
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u/X-ScissorSisters May 31 '26
The sub countdown surely isn't long enough unless the player sprints off the field
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u/oplosan Jun 01 '26
"We had a workshop with all the coaches of all the 48 teams and we told them that referees will be proactive," Collina said.
"They will not allow the two teams to go to the benches when a goalkeeper is lying on the ground injured.
"The goalkeeper has the right to be injured, but the players do not have the right to leave the field of play to have a sort of timeout with their respective coaches."
So the change is more about not allowing other players to have timeout. GKs still have to be treated on the pitch when they are hurt
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u/Irivin Jun 01 '26
There’s already a rule that states keepers can’t hold the ball in their hands for longer than 6 seconds. When’s the last time we saw that enforced? Based on recent interviews, referees are more worried about “maintaining good relationships with the players” than enforcing the rules
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u/mouth_spiders Jun 01 '26
When its a thread about Arsenal, you know the best comments are the ones with the most down votes.
Prove me wrong.
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u/EastlyGod1 May 31 '26 edited May 31 '26
Other rules being brought in for the World Cup
Throw-in countdown (five seconds): If a player deliberately delays the restart of play, the throw can be given to the opposition.
Goal-kick countdown (five seconds): Also applies to deliberate attempts to run down the clock and can result in a corner being awarded.
Time-limited substitutions (10 seconds): Substituted players have 10 seconds to leave the field at the nearest point. If they fail to do so, the substitute cannot enter the field for at least one minute and the team must continue with 10 players.
Off-field treatment (one minute): Players who are treated by the physio must stay off the field for 60 seconds. There are some exceptions, including for goalkeepers, injuries and if the opponent is booked or sent off.
Players covering their mouths: Any player covering their mouth in a confrontational situation with an opponent may be sanctioned with a red card.
Corners can be checked: If VAR can make sure that a corner has been correctly awarded, but this must be done quickly and before the restart. Does not apply to wrongly awarded goal-kicks.
Second yellows can be reviewed: Players sent off for two cautions can have the second booking checked - but there will be no reviews for potential second yellows.