FIFA says match tempo shall be point of emphasis

FILE – Referee Szymon Marciniak, of Poland, shows a yellow card to Argentina’s goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez throughout the penalty shootout inthe World Cup final soccer match between Argentina and France on the Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar, Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis, File)

FIFA’s on-field officials for the World Cup will insist on keeping matches moving by taking rule changes designed to limit time-wasting seriously, the game’s governing body said Sunday with the beginning of the 48-team tournament now lower than two weeks away.

Also among the many points of emphasis for referees and officials: a commitment to issuing red cards to any player who covers his mouth while talking to an opponent in a “confrontational situation,” FIFA said.

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“We’re continuing on trying to realize an objective, which is to eliminate from matches — as much as possible — the disruption of the tempo of the match,” said Pierluigi Collina, FIFA chief refereeing officer and chair of the referees committee.

Other issues that referees shall be mindful of throughout the tournament:

— If a player leaves the sector of play after being angered by an official’s decision, a red card may be issued.

— To hurry up play, referees can institute a five-second visual countdown on goal kicks and throw-ins. If the goal kick shouldn’t be taken before the tip of that countdown, a corner kick shall be awarded to the opposing team. If the throw-in shouldn’t be executed by the tip of the five-second count, a throw-in for the opponents shall be the reward. It’s along the identical lines of the so-called eight-second goalkeeper rule that has been in place for a while to release the ball after making a save.

— Players getting subbed off must leave the sector inside 10 seconds, aside from special situations resembling ones involving injuries or a security issue.

— The protocol for Video Assistant Referee, or VAR, is being clarified in certain areas. VAR may be used to ascertain when red cards are issued following a clearly incorrect second yellow card, or when cards are issued within the case of mistaken identity. Incorrectly awarded corner kicks will also be checked by VAR, FIFA said.

Players covering their mouth with a hand, arm or shirt shall be given red cards if referees deem it to not be a friendly conversation, FIFA said. Conversations that should not confrontational but still have players shielding their mouths from public view will proceed to be permitted without penalty.

“Confrontational … a totally different story,” Collina said.

There has also been a clarification on VAR protocol “regarding clear offenses committed by the attacking team before the ball is in play at a corner kick or free kick” that directly impacts goals, penalty kicks or sanctions.

VAR may be utilized in those moments and “if the referee determines that an offense occurred before the ball was in play, the suitable disciplinary motion shall be taken.”

But all of the emphasis on speedy play won’t necessarily mean quicker matches. There shall be three-minute water breaks midway through each half of each match, FIFA said.