News

There have been a lot of new features at the Club World Cup, regardless of whether you like them or not.

The new 32-team competition format has been popular, from player walk-ons to the eight-second goalkeeper rule.

Before each Club World Cup game, every starting player had a personal walk-on.

Because of how long it takes, Shamoon Hafez, a reporter for football news at the tournament, claims this is the most notable innovation to date.

Romeo Lavia, the midfielder for Chelsea, is a fan.

He continued, “I believe it to be something unique and fresh for us. It was enjoyable to me. Why not play in the Premier League?

It’s a little showbiz-related, isn’t it? It really appeals to me. The only difference is that if we did it in the Premier League, we might get a little cold because you have to wait for the other players before playing.

Ref cam displays live footage from referee bodycams before and during games, in the tunnel, during the warm-up, and during the coin toss.

Nothing will appear during the game, unlike rugby union, and nothing that is controversial or offensive, such as a player getting a nasty injury, will be shown. However, goals and moments of skill will be delayed.

The video assistant referee (VAR) will have access to the images, but that is not the point of the innovation.

Rico Lewis was shown the video of the challenge that caused the team’s opener against Wydad Casablanca, but the red card had already been broadcast.

Pierluigi Collina, a former international referee, claims that the technology is primarily a form of entertainment.

As Al Hilal goalkeeper Yassine Bounou became the second goalkeeper to concede a corner after failing to release the ball within eight seconds, commented DAZN co-commentator Michael Brown.

It could have cost the Saudi Arabian club a lot if it had been a 1-1 draw with Spanish giants Real Madrid in the 96th minute.

The new eight-second rule is being used for goalkeepers for the first time at the Club World Cup.

A corner kick is awarded if a goalkeeper controls the ball with their hand or arm for more than eight seconds before releasing it, as per the International Football Association Board (Ifab) rules.

The referee will determine the ball’s possession during the eighth and final five seconds of play and will visually count down those five with a raised hand.

Ronwen Williams, the Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper, was the first to break the law after being penalized in the final ten minutes of his team’s 1-0 victory over Ulsan Hyundai.

The on-pitch referee will inform stadium supporters of VAR decisions and their justifications, as in previous Fifa tournaments.

Fans of the game will first be able to view the officials’ replays for the first time.

The VAR hub discussions will still not be broadcast, though.

Collina pleaded for patience for those who are unable to comprehend why rugby, cricket, and all other major American sports are still using commonplace techniques.

Officials are using an accelerated semi-automated offside technology that will prompt them to immediately halt play if a player is more than 10 cm offside touches the ball.

It aims to cut unnecessary delays.

As is the case with semi-automated offside (SAO) systems used in most major leagues, assistant referees will immediately be notified rather than having to wait for the technology to check positions and distances.

On April 12, SAO was introduced to the Premier League.

Taiwo Awoniyi, a striker for Nottingham Forest who suffered a serious abdominal injury against Leicester City, was the subject of the enhanced SAO.

The winner of each game receives the Superior Player Award, which is determined by a popular vote.

Between minutes 60 and 88, via FIFA+, voting is open.

Michael Olise (Bayern Munich), Vitinha (Paris St-Germain), Pedro Neto (Chelsea), and Phil Foden (Manchester City) have all so far received the Superior Player Award at the Club World Cup.

Its name derives from American beer brand Michelob, which sponsors tournaments.

At the 2022 World Cup, the nickname “Man of the Match” was changed to “Player of the Match.”

Three-time Olympic swimming champion Adam Peaty was lured back to the pool by “unfinished business”, says new coach Jamie Main.

The 30-year-old had previously admitted that he was not convinced he would carry on after an emotionally and physically draining silver-medal finish in the 100m breaststroke at the Paris Games last year.

Peaty had dealt with mental health issues in the years leading up to the 2024 Olympics, where he aimed to claim a third consecutive gold medal in the event despite catching Covid-19 in the week leading up to the race, but was just 0.02 seconds short of glory.

“When we had the conversation at the back end of last year about him potentially coming in to Repton, he felt like there was some unfinished business,” Main told BBC Radio Derby.

“But he actually loves the sport and I think that has come though in a lot of what he has said since he announced that he was getting back in the pool”.

The Paris Olympics was the last major event he worked with long-time coach Mel Marshall, who moved to Australia to further her career.

With Marshall leaving Loughborough Performance Centre, where she was Aquatic GB’s lead coach, Peaty decided to relocate to his former training base at Repton School in Derbyshire.

It was there that he previously worked with Marshall leading up to the 2016 Olympics in Rio where he claimed his first Olympic title.

He has now returned to the rural Derbyshire village to work with Main, who left his role as Aquatics GB national coach at the Bath Performance Centre to become Repton’s director of swimming.

Peaty’s move coincided with his omission from the group of 57 elite British swimmers that will be supported by Aquatics GB throughout 2025.

Having the multiple world champion and world record holder at the school has given its highly-regarded programme – which was represented by swimmers at the Olympic and Paralympic Games last year – a significant boost.