International Football Association Board (Ifab) started debates in The central proposal, which has generated extensive discussion behind the scenes of the sport, involves the obligation for players who receive medical care within the four lines to remain off the field for a minimum period of one minute after the game resumes.
The primary objective of this measure is to discourage the practice popularly known as “waxing”, in which athletes simulate injuries to interrupt the flow of the match, cool down the opponent and allow their teams to reorganize defensively. With the new guideline, if the medical team enters the pitch, the protocol would be activated automatically, leaving the offending team at a temporary numerical disadvantage, which would serve as an inhibiting factor for tactical simulations.
Exceptions to the rule and athlete safety
To ensure that the health of the players is not put at risk to the detriment of the agility of the show, important safeguards were established in the base text of the proposal analyzed by the entity. The mandatory period off the field will not be applied in cases of injuries resulting from fouls punished with yellow or red cards, recognizing that the victim of the infraction should not be penalized twice for the violence of the opponent.
Furthermore, other specific situations also exempt the athlete from temporal punishment, such as head collisions that require strict concussion protocols or care for goalkeepers, due to their unique and irreplaceable role during the game. The intention of football legislators is to balance the fluidity of the match with the physical integrity necessary to practice high-performance sport.
Changes to VAR and punishments for goalkeepers
The discussions in The entity seeks to correct clear and obvious errors in these specific situations, although there is still caution not to excessively increase interruptions for video review, which could contradict the objective of speeding up the game.
Another highlight on the agenda was the review of the six-second rule for goalkeepers. Ifab is considering changing the punishment for archers who hold the ball for an excessive amount of time: instead of an indirect free kick inside the area, which is rarely scored, the infraction would result in a corner or throw-in for the opposing team, making the penalty more objective and easier for referees to apply.