Ifab discusses countdown on throw-ins & goal-kicks

To prevent timewasting, the International Football Association Board, which is composed of football’s lawmakers, has considered putting a countdown on throw-ins and goal-kicks.

It was also agreed to move forward with a proposal to allow a video assistant referee (VAR) review when a player was dismissed after receiving a second yellow card at a meeting of the Ifab’s Football and Technical Advisory Panels (FAP-TAP) on Tuesday.

However, it was decided against conducting potential VAR reviews for corners that were awarded incorrectly and ultimately resulted in goals.

Teams are effectively positioned for set-pieces as a result of the increased number of long throws in the Premier League this season, preventing a quick restart.

Goalkeepers also waste time by using goal-kicks, which are becoming more common as a time-wasting measure toward the end of a game.

The Ifab introduced a law change this year that places an eight-second limit on the ball’s holding in open play before it can be released, which follows the logic of the law change.

The referee issues a signal when the final five seconds are up, and if the goalkeeper doesn’t release the ball, a corner is awarded.

FAP-TAP supported a change to VAR protocol that would give a reprieve when a second yellow card is incorrect, though the issue is still up for discussion for the time being.

Due to the high number of possible incidents and delays, it will not be possible to review second yellow cards.

The Key Match Incident (KMI) Panel has determined that 17 Premier League players were wrongly dismissed for two bookings over the past two seasons.

The proposal will now be discussed at the Ifab’s annual business meeting on January 20 for a vote before its ratification at the organization’s annual general meeting in Cardiff on February 28.

The change would be effective for the upcoming season.

After fully evaluating VAR protocol for the first time since it was added to the rules of the game in 2018, the Ifab had been considering a number of changes.

However, Mark Bullingham, the CEO of the Football Association (FA), which sits on the Ifab along with the three other British associations and Fifa, stated to BBC Sport that there isn’t “any need” to make use of the VAR system.

The FAP-TAP also discussed the ongoing low-level trial for a change to the offside law, which would place a player on the side when their body parts were level with the defensive player’s second-last.

The debate primarily focused on changing the law’s objectives, and whether or not that goal was motivated by contentious marginal offside decisions in VAR competitions or to encourage attacking play.

The idea was initially proposed in 2020, but concerns about how tactically manipulative it would be have prevented it from being fully tested. It was supported by Arsene Wenger, Fifa’s head of global football.