Soccer has already undergone major changes in recent years (such as the introduction of 5-a-side substitutions), and this transformation could continue. Several media outlets reported on Wednesday that FIFA President Gianni Infantino has a meeting scheduled for March 1 in Scotland with the IFAB (International Football Association Board), the institution in charge of the rules of the game, to discuss 4 new modifications.
A new offside system:
Rather than having to be on the same line as the last defender, the attacker would now only be offside if his whole body went beyond that famous last line. There will always be millimetres that change everything, but the attack would have a bit of leeway to get ahead (watch out for defences that could be lower…).
Decisions explained by the referees to the whole stadium:
After consulting VAR to make a choice, the referees would have a microphone to explain a decision to everyone in the stadium.
𝗟e “challenger” system:
As in tennis in particular, coaches would have a certain number (not yet precise) of opportunities to request the use of VAR to review a disputed action. Watch out for matches that drag on…
The stopwatch can be stopped:
Referees will be able to stop the clock to investigate a contentious situation or in the event of a serious injury. The idea is to break up time gains and allow more active playing time.
We’ll have to wait and see whether all this is actually put in place, or just a part of it, but these are ideas that have been taking shape for several years, and this meeting is probably not planned for nothing. Whether this will help soccer remains to be seen, and everyone can have their say. We remember that the 5 replacements were frowned upon by some, but in the end they seem to be quite interesting.
