Changes to Football Laws of the game

[mrbojangles]

Just in case you haven't heard or seen it, thought I'd post here. New laws of the game coming into effect on June 1, 2019

 

Free kicks: No attacking players in wall

From next season on we're going to see an interesting change to the way free kicks are taken.

The IFAB has approved a rule change which prohibits attacking players - ie those from the team on attacking from the free kick - from being in the wall. Specifically, when there is a wall of three or more players attackers are not allowed within one metre of it.

Any attacking player found to be less than one metre from the wall when a free kick is taken will be penalised and the other team will be rewarded with an indirect free kick.

The idea behind the change is to avoid time-wasting and disturbances between players that may result in physical altercations.

The IFAB said: "There is no legitimate tactical justification for attackers to be in the ‘wall’ and their presence is against the ‘spirit of the game’ and often damages the image of the game."

 

Substitutions: Players must leave pitch at nearest point

The rule-makers have struck a further blow against cynicism in the game by introducing a change to substitution protocol.

Players who are being taken off and replaced must now leave the pitch by the nearest point on the touchline, which means we will no longer be forced to endure preposterously slow walks to the half-way line.

So players will have to think twice about how they exit the pitch and, not only that, they must make their way straight to the technical area or dressing room otherwise they risk being sanctioned for unsporting behavior.

 

Yellow & red cards for coaches

In order to clamp down on difficult behaviour from coaches who don't see eye to eye with the referee or their opposite number, officials will be able to show them yellow or red cards, in the same way they do with players.

If, in the event of a touchline melee for example, the offending individual cannot be identified for punishment, the senior coach who is in the technical area will be the default recipient.

 

Penalty kicks: Goalkeepers must have at least one foot on line

The issue of penalty kicks has cropped up a few times in recent years and the trend has been towards reducing the freedom of the goalkeeper.

That hasn't changed with the latest update to the rules, which dictate that the shot-stopper must not be moving or touching the goalposts.

The new rule changes also say that the goalkeeper must have at least part of one foot on or in line with the goal-line.

"Allowing the goalkeeper to have only one foot touching the goal line (or, if jumping, in line with the goal line) when the penalty kick is taken is a more practical approach as it is easier to identify if both feet are not on the line," goes the IFAB's explanation.

"As the kicker can ‘stutter’ in the run, it is reasonable that the goalkeeper can take one step in anticipation of the kick."

As well as those points, the penalty taker will now be permitted to receive a quick treatment if necessary before taking the kick.

 

Handball: Accidental offences deemed free kicks

The IFAB has attempted to provide more clarity on the handball offence for occasions when the offence is deemed to be 'non-deliberate'.

Essentially, the changes will mean that there will be no goal in cases where the ball accidentally strikes a player's hand before crossing over the line.

Similarly, if a player has accidentally handled the ball and created an advantage or subsequently scores, they will be penalised with a free kick.

Despite the IFAB's attempts, we reckon that this one will still cause plenty of debate and consternation.

 

Drop ball no longer competitive

The dropped ball is no more. Well, at least not as we know it.

If play is stopped inside the penalty area the ball will simply be dropped for the goalkeeper.

If it is stopped outside the penalty area the ball will be dropped for a player from the team that last touched the ball. In all cases, players will have to be at least four metres (four and a half yards) away.

Here's the IFAB's explanation: "The current dropped ball procedure often leads to a ‘manufactured’ restart which is ‘exploited’ unfairly (e.g. kicking the ball out for a throw-in deep in the opponents’ half) or an aggressive confrontation.

"Returning the ball to the team that last played it restores what was ‘lost’ when play was stopped, except in the penalty area where it is simpler to return the ball to the goalkeeper.

"To prevent that team gaining an unfair advantage, all players of both teams, except the player receiving the ball, must be at least 4m (4.5 yds) away."

 

Link to the official FA Law changes:- http://static-3eb8.kxcdn.com/documents/786/111531_110319_IFAB_LoG_at_a_Glance.pdf

 

[RickG16]

 

Free kicks: No attacking players in wall

"There is no legitimate tactical justification for attackers to be in the ‘wall’ and their presence is against the ‘spirit of the game’ and often damages the image of the game."

 

Don't get this one - the tactical justification is to peel away at the last moment and let a free kick through a 'gap' in the wall, or lift your feet up and let the shot through. Damaging the image of the game? Going a bit too far  I think.

[mrbojangles]

1 hour ago, RickG16 said:

 

Free kicks: No attacking players in wall

"There is no legitimate tactical justification for attackers to be in the ‘wall’ and their presence is against the ‘spirit of the game’ and often damages the image of the game."

 

Don't get this one - the tactical justification is to peel away at the last moment and let a free kick through a 'gap' in the wall, or lift your feet up and let the shot through. Damaging the image of the game? Going a bit too far  I think.

I had to toil over that one myself. Definitely don't see how it damages the image of the game but I can understand the against the "spirit of the game" bit. The only reason they go into a wall is to jostle with the defenders and disrupt the defence to ultimately, like you said, create gaps. I suppose in cricket terms, it's not cricket. Will be interesting to see new tactics being adopted by both defenders and attackers.

 

Not thought it through properly but the one thing I don't understand how they will implement, is how they are going constitute when a wall has been formed. i.e. when a ball is too far out to have a shot at goal, the free kick taker pumps it into or around the box. Usually from that distance a wall isn't officially formed but the defenders man mark or zonal mark. If 3 defenders are stood together has a wall been formed? Will the captain of the defending team have to call to the ref 'wall"? 

[champers]

I wouldn't like to be an away player who's been substituted at Millwall and walking halfway round the pitch.

[jellydog]

23 minutes ago, champers said:

I wouldn't like to be an away player who's been substituted at Millwall and walking halfway round the pitch.

Maybe they can sprout wings and fly off the pitch. Much ado about very little IMO. The ref is to add time anyhow. Now the ref can add a little less?

[alanrchase]

Will it be like previous law changes that the players give a damn good ignoring to and the ref gets criticised for ruining the game by penalising them?

[DoctorG]

My new rule: Taken from basketball where playing the ball back across the centre line is penalised.

I would give a little more leeway and allow a defender in the back half one kick to get it back into the forward half.(if played back by a teammate from the front half)

It is rather boring to see defenders constantly kicking it backwards, often as a time-wasting tactic.

[Jonnapat]

To me the worst aspect of the modern game is the never ending gamesmanship and downright cheating.

Players falling or diving to the ground often with the most minimal of contact, in fact the "conning" of the referee.

Also players pleading with the referee to give opposing players red or yellow cards.

Don't see anything in the new rules for these actions to be more severely punished.

[animalmagic]

1 hour ago, Jonnapat said:

Also players pleading with the referee to give opposing players red or yellow cards.

Don't see anything in the new rules for these actions to be more severely punished.

Simple.  If the player asks for a card to be shown then show it to him!

[wgdanson]

Yep, some other rules could be implemented instead of these petty ones.

 

ONLY the captain and the player involved should talk to the ref. Other players stay 10 yards/metres away and keep gobs shut.

 

Throw-ins taken within say 2 metres of where the ball went out.

 

Scrap the off-side rule. Only brought in to prevent forwards staying on the goal line waiting for a pass. Why not?

 

Ban commentators from ANY statistics of previous matches, or say more than 5/10 years previously!

 

 

[473geo]

In my opinion the offside rule should give leeway to the attacker, as such if any part of the attacker is in line with the last defender when the ball is played, not offside. Now video checks are in use, more easily enforced.

 

[denby45]

 

"That hasn't changed with the latest update to the rules, which dictate that the shot-stopper must not be moving or touching the goalposts."

 

Not be touching the goal posts?? Eh?

 

Den

[superal]

2 hours ago, Jonnapat said:

To me the worst aspect of the modern game is the never ending gamesmanship and downright cheating.

Players falling or diving to the ground often with the most minimal of contact, in fact the "conning" of the referee.

Also players pleading with the referee to give opposing players red or yellow cards.

Don't see anything in the new rules for these actions to be more severely punished.

Totally agree and how could they not address the most annoying aspect . IMO a player who has gone to ground and writhes and screams with apparent pain should be removed from the field to be examined for injuries to ensure he is fit to continue . Further more where there is var or TV coverage and the ref; misses an important  incident both tapes should be used to determine the outcome . To me it is important to show the youngsters how the game should be played and wipe out the cheating which can be taken to all aspects of how they lead their lives  .

Not only that but on a personal point when I have had a wager on a game and lose because of a wrong decision or missed incident that is also an injustice .

[xtrnuno41]

8 hours ago, DoctorG said:

My new rule: Taken from basketball where playing the ball back across the centre line is penalised.

I would give a little more leeway and allow a defender in the back half one kick to get it back into the forward half.(if played back by a teammate from the front half)

It is rather boring to see defenders constantly kicking it backwards, often as a time-wasting tactic.

That would be my new rule too. Once passed the middle line , you cant go back.

Also about time, as in other sports they stop playing time. SO when the ball isnt on the move, stop time and start when ball is running again. Then all the stupid jokes on delaying time not to play, are over and you dont need to add on later some time.

IF you notice, a player is hurt and need assistance, you kick out the ball at nearest point.

Then when starting again , that team gets the ball back, instantly with a throw in.

The keeper holding one foot on the line is ridiculous, dont agree with that one. He must be able to move on his line. The kicker is also free to move.

[mrbojangles]

8 minutes ago, xtrnuno41 said:

IF you notice, a player is hurt and need assistance, you kick out the ball at nearest point.

Then when starting again , that team gets the ball back, instantly with a throw in.

That's one of the changes mentioned above in the Dropped Ball section. The team who last touched it get possession. What they then do with it i.e. keep possession or pass back to the opposition goalie, I'm not sure

[RickG16]

20 hours ago, mrbojangles said:

I had to toil over that one myself. Definitely don't see how it damages the image of the game but I can understand the against the "spirit of the game" bit. The only reason they go into a wall is to jostle with the defenders and disrupt the defence to ultimately, like you said, create gaps. I suppose in cricket terms, it's not cricket. Will be interesting to see new tactics being adopted by both defenders and attackers.

 

Not thought it through properly but the one thing I don't understand how they will implement, is how they are going constitute when a wall has been formed. i.e. when a ball is too far out to have a shot at goal, the free kick taker pumps it into or around the box. Usually from that distance a wall isn't officially formed but the defenders man mark or zonal mark. If 3 defenders are stood together has a wall been formed? Will the captain of the defending team have to call to the ref 'wall"? 

See what you are saying, but isn't it obvious when a wall is a wall, rather than 3 players zonal marking? 

[daytraderuk99]

GOAL KICKS  RULE ....Think they also brought in rule  where when taking  goal kick  the  ball does not have to leave the penalty area now to be in play...for teamate....who enters  from outside the area  after the kick   ......think new tactics needed  for  Man City  playing out  from the back now

[GroveHillWanderer]

On 5/20/2019 at 7:49 PM, RickG16 said:

 

Free kicks: No attacking players in wall

"There is no legitimate tactical justification for attackers to be in the ‘wall’ and their presence is against the ‘spirit of the game’ and often damages the image of the game."

 

Don't get this one - the tactical justification is to peel away at the last moment and let a free kick through a 'gap' in the wall, or lift your feet up and let the shot through. Damaging the image of the game? Going a bit too far  I think.

There isn't a gap in the wall unless an attacking player forces one. So the defending team pushes back to try and force the attacker out of the wall. Then a general push and shove ensues, the referee has to get involved, time gets wasted and as soon as the referee withdraws the pushing and shoving resumes until the kick is taken anyway. Usually there are several pushing or holding fouls going on that don't get penalised, otherwise almost every free kick where this happens, would lead immediately to another free kick (or penalty). Making the attackers stand a yard away avoids the whole unedifying mess in the first place.

 

14 hours ago, mrbojangles said:

That's one of the changes mentioned above in the Dropped Ball section. The team who last touched it get possession. What they then do with it i.e. keep possession or pass back to the opposition goalie, I'm not sure.

They do whatever they want with it, they have possession and play just continues as normal.

[GroveHillWanderer]

56 minutes ago, daytraderuk99 said:

GOAL KICKS  RULE ....Think they also brought in rule  where when taking  goal kick  the  ball does not have to leave the penalty area now to be in play...for teamate....who enters  from outside the area  after the kick   ......think new tactics needed  for  Man City  playing out  from the back now

I think this will be one of the more significant changes, yet I've seen it missed out of several articles outlining the new amendments. We've all seen how teams try to prevent quick free kicks being taken all the time now, by getting a player to stand right on top of the free kick taker. With this law change they're allowed inside the penalty area, and with the potential of winning the ball back only a few yards away from the opponent's goal, they'll obviously start trying to do the same thing for goal kicks, so 'contested' goal kicks could easily become the norm. I can see problems developing from this.

[mrbojangles]

1 hour ago, GroveHillWanderer said:

They do whatever they want with it, they have possession and play just continues as normal.

The point I wasn't too sure about was previously, pressure was always on to have "sportsmanship" and a duty to pass back to the opposition. Will this still be the case?

[mrbojangles]

1 hour ago, GroveHillWanderer said:

I think this will be one of the more significant changes, yet I've seen it missed out of several articles outlining the new amendments. We've all seen how teams try to prevent quick free kicks being taken all the time now, by getting a player to stand right on top of the free kick taker. With this law change they're allowed inside the penalty area, and with the potential of winning the ball back only a few yards away from the opponent's goal, they'll obviously start trying to do the same thing for goal kicks, so 'contested' goal kicks could easily become the norm. I can see problems developing from this.

For the goal kick bit, according to the link I posted, the defending team can be inside the penalty area but the opposition have to stay out until the ball is in play

[mrbojangles]

16 hours ago, RickG16 said:

See what you are saying, but isn't it obvious when a wall is a wall, rather than 3 players zonal marking? 

Maybe I'm over thinking it but I'm sure players will try to pull a fast one

[GroveHillWanderer]

1 hour ago, mrbojangles said:

The point I wasn't too sure about was previously, pressure was always on to have "sportsmanship" and a duty to pass back to the opposition. Will this still be the case?

No, the way it used to work was that the ball was dropped to the team that did not have possession when play was stopped and they gave it back to the team that did. Now, the team that had possession when play was stopped gets the ball back directly so there's no reason for (or onus on) them to do anything other than play on.

[GroveHillWanderer]

1 hour ago, mrbojangles said:

For the goal kick bit, according to the link I posted, the defending team can be inside the penalty area but the opposition have to stay out until the ball is in play

Well, that was the old law (pretty much). The main difference in the new law comes about because of the change in when the ball is in play. The old law said the ball wasn't in play until it left the penalty area - the new law says it's in play as soon as it is kicked and clearly moves. It also says that although opponents should be outside the penalty area, if they're still there because they didn't have time to leave, the referee allows play to continue. Here's the actual wording:

 

Quote

If, when a goal kick is taken, any opponents are inside the penalty area because they did not have time to leave, the referee allows play to continue. If an opponent who is in the penalty area (…), touches or challenges for the ball before it is in play, the goal kick is retaken.

Put those two things together - opponents don't really have to leave the area and they can challenge for the ball basically as soon as it moves and you have (IMHO) a recipe for trouble.

 

[Snow Leopard]

On 5/21/2019 at 8:10 AM, wgdanson said:

Yep, some other rules could be implemented instead of these petty ones.

 

ONLY the captain and the player involved should talk to the ref. Other players stay 10 yards/metres away and keep gobs shut.

 

Throw-ins taken within say 2 metres of where the ball went out.

 

Scrap the off-side rule. Only brought in to prevent forwards staying on the goal line waiting for a pass. Why not?

 

Ban commentators from ANY statistics of previous matches, or say more than 5/10 years previously!

 

 

This game you speak of is called RUGBY. ????????

[wgdanson]

3 minutes ago, Snow Leopard said:

This game you speak of is called RUGBY. ????????

No no no. Rugby is stop start, stop start. Soccer is almost 45 minutes x 2 of non-stop play. (Cat and pigeons looming! )

In UK they can't even decide on the rules or how many to have on each team.    LOL

[GroveHillWanderer]

On 5/22/2019 at 10:18 AM, mrbojangles said:

The point I wasn't too sure about was previously, pressure was always on to have "sportsmanship" and a duty to pass back to the opposition. Will this still be the case?

Just found anther document - the circular where the IFAB announced the changes. They make it even clearer as to what happens under the new procedure. The document states that after the ball is dropped:

 

Quote

Play will then continue ‘as normal’, i.e. the ball is not given back to the opponents.

 

[BangrakBob]

https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/7-new-rule-changes-are-coming-premier-league-are-they-good-or-bad

 

[Burma Bill]

Watch out Neil Warnock!!!

[sanemax]

On 5/21/2019 at 9:47 AM, Jonnapat said:

To me the worst aspect of the modern game is the never ending gamesmanship and downright cheating.

Players falling or diving to the ground often with the most minimal of contact, in fact the "conning" of the referee.

Also players pleading with the referee to give opposing players red or yellow cards.

Don't see anything in the new rules for these actions to be more severely punished.

Players can get punished for diving , usually a yellow card and players also get a yellow card themselves if they wave an imaginary yellow card in the air , suggesting the ref books a player