The World Cup is upon us once again, but this tournament promises to be a little different to previous years. As well as expanding from 32 to 48 teams, there will also be a number of rule changes introduced for the competition, which will take place over the next month or so. Ahead of the tournament, FIFA announced a number of new measures, some of which have already gained support among ex-players.
10-Second Substitutions
One new rule is that subbed players must leave the pitch at the nearest point of exit within 10 seconds or face having to wait for a full minute before their replacement is allowed to enter the field. Japan recently benefitted from the new rule during a warm-up match with Iceland on Sunday, netting a second-half winner when their opponents were reduced to 10 men due to a substitute having to wait to come on. It's a rule that former England and Manchester United defender Gary Neville is fully behind.
"I think this is an unbelievable introduction – time-limited substitutions," he said on The Overlap. "I love that. It's so annoying watching players walk off slowly. The players and teams are gaming the system. You can criticise FIFA for many things but I do think they get their referee stuff right. I think those are pretty good introductions and will make the game better for the fans."
Five-Second Restart
Another measure Neville likes is the "five-second restart", which declares that possession will be reversed if a player is judged to be time-wasting from a goal-kick or throw-in. "I'm massively up for the throw-in counter," he added. "The amount of time that is taken in the Premier League… I've lost count of how many times we mentioned that last season. So I like that one. What we've witnessed over the past 12 months is teams stopping the game for a minute to prepare for set-pieces. I'm talking about League Two games as well as the Premier League, the ball is out of play for so long. I think it's a good introduction."
Players Covering Their Mouths
Other new rules include prohibiting players from covering their mouths during confrontational situations, a rule that appears to have been introduced in light of an incident around Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni, who covered his mouth during an altercation with Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior during a Champions League game earlier in the season. Prestianni was later accused of racially abusing the Brazilian, although he later denied the claims.
World Cup Rule Changes in Full
VAR Changes
VAR can intervene on incorrectly awarded corner kicks, fouls that occur before play has started (such as pushing in the box before a corner), or if a second yellow card leads to a red.
Players Covering Their Mouths
Players are not allowed to cover their mouths during confrontational situations with players or officials.
Players Leaving the Pitch
Any player that leaves the field of play in protest over a referee's decision will be shown a red card.
10-Second Substitutions
Players must leave the field within 10 seconds. If they fail to do so, the player replacing them cannot enter the field of play for one minute.
Hydration Breaks
Each game will have one three-minute hydration break in each half.
Five-Second Restart
There will be a five-second countdown for goal-kicks and throw-ins.
Tactical Timeouts for Goalkeeper Injuries
Players will not be permitted to receive instructions from managers when a goalkeeper receives treatment for an injury.
Injured Players
An outfield player who is treated by medical staff must leave the pitch for one minute.
