IFAB to discuss a 'quiet revolution' in laws of football

LONDON (Reuters) - Penalty goals, dribbling from free kicks and corners, and points deductions for mobbing the referee are among a crop of radical proposals for discussion by football's law-making body, the International Football Association Board.





IFAB's technical director David Elleray, the former English referee, is behind a strategy document which he describes as 'a quiet revolution'.

Under the proposals players would be allowed to play free kicks and corners to themselves instead of passing; the ball need not be stationary for a free kick; a penalty would be awarded for a goalkeeper handling a backpass; and a penalty goal could be given if an outfield player handles on or close to the goalline.

Possible changes to time keeping include the whistle only being blown for halftime and fulltime when the ball goes out of play; and using 60 minutes of actual playing time rather than 90 overall minutes as at present.

Teams could also be docked points for surrounding a referee.

Minor amendments include a goal kick not having to leave the penalty area before a defender touches it and a goal kick being awarded if a player misses a penalty kick, instead of any follow up being allowed.

"You could say it is a quiet revolution aimed at getting football even better," Elleray told The Times newspaper.

"My starting point was to look at the laws and say 'what are they for?' and if there is no particular reason then would changing them make the game better?"

A long-term supporter of video assistance for referees, Elleray believes trials are going well and improving behaviour.

"Players know they cannot get away with things such as violent conduct and bad tackles," he said.

The strategy document, called Play Fair, will be discussed over the next few months, before the 2018 IFAB annual general meeting, in March, which will decide which proposals should be trialled in competitive matches.

"The underlying philosophy of 'Play Fair' is a call to the conscience of everyone involved in football," said a statement on the IFAB website (www.theifab.com).





(Reporting by Steve Tongue, editing by Pritha Sarkar)


Share

2 min read

Published

Source: Reuters



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world