NEW Laws and new tech – meaning the Club World Cup will look unlike any football tournament we’ve seen before.
Fifa has decided to bring in all the Law tweaks agreed at the International FA Board meeting in Belfast in February for their new flagship.
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That means the “five second countdown”, with referees raising their hand to tell goalkeepers to release the ball or see a corner awarded to the opposing team.
The latest live trials, in South America’s Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana, saw just TWO incidents where the glovemen exceeded the maximum eight seconds with the ball “under control”.
Fifa will also enforce the “captain’s only” rule for talking to referees, with yellow cards for any players who offend.
The so-called “Arteta rule”, meaning no further punishment other than an indirect free-kick if coaches or substitutes accidentally touch the ball before it goes out of play, will also be invoked for the first time.
As will a new penalty rule, where “double touches” – players unintentionally hitting the ball against their own foot or leg – will bring a retake if the spot kick is converted, rather than being disallowed.
But just as eye-opening will be the technology applied for the first time in competitive play, as Fifa pushes new barriers.
The biggest will be using the latest, AI-aided semi-automated offside technology, where a signal will automatically go to the assist referee when a player breaking the defensive line and more than just four INCHES offside plays the ball.
Rugby fans have become used to “ref cams”, attached to the official’s chest and giving an intimate view of scrums.
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But Ifab approved football to go down the same path, with the cameras at eye level, attached to the referee’s VAR communication device.
While “live” shots will not be broadcast during play, they will be available to give fans, both at home and in stadiums, the chance to see goals and other incidents from the ref’s perspective.
Conversations between refs and VARs can still only be broadcast after a match has finished but supporters inside the grounds will be able to view the images for pitchside monitor reviews at the same time as the officials themselves.
And there will be no excuses for messed-up substitutions, with coaching teams handed a tablet to input player changes directly, rather than having to hand written notes to the fourth official.
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