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FIFA propose 4th substitute, other rule changes

Comment: 0 February 6th, 2012 by: admin

International football governing body FIFA will be exploring the idea of increasing the current per-game quota of three substitutes to four.

According to reports, the proposal, which is still subject to deliberation, sees an allowance of one more substitute when a match enters extra time.  This is supposedly expected to help reduce injuries and improve match quality.

“The FIFA Task Force Football 2014, the medical committee and the football committee support the proposal in order to maintain the technical level until the 120^th minute and to protect the health of the players,” according to the body’s official statement.

The issue, which is only one amongst a list of possible changes to the currently-accepted rules, is set for deliberation by the International Football Association Board – a body composed of the four British associations plus representatives of FIFA – on 3 March.

Other parts of the agenda include a reintroduction of the goal-line technology proposal, which has gone back and forth between bodies – most recently between FIFA president Sepp Blatter, and UEFA boss Michel Platini.

The IFAB panel are scheduled to receive the results of tests on a total of eight systems, and decide which ones are worth considering for a second round of testing.  A final decision on the matter, however, is presumed to be considered at another IFAB meeting set in 2 July.

Another consideration to be taken as the panel convene in England this March is the current “triple punishment” rules which assign a penalty kick, a red card and a suspension – all three – for certain fouls.

Describing the current system as “too severe,” FIFA pointed out that an amendment is needed.

One includes the proposal to give a player a red card only if his actions prevent “an obvious goal-scoring opportunity by deliberately handling the ball, by holding or an offense committed from behind inside his own penalty area when he has no opportunity to play inside the ball.”

The body will also be looking into perhaps eliminating the word “blatantly” from the official description of a handball offense, which is currently described as “deliberately and blatantly handl[ing] the ball to prevent an opponent gaining possession.”

According to FIFA, a handball incident need not be obvious to have the same gravity and importance as a more conspicuous one.

Other proposals include allowing for pre-match substitutes, as well as of tape on the legs as long as it matches the colour of the player’s socks.

According to the proposal, while the wearing of tape on the socks is not unusual, donning tape whose colour is different from the sock causes “confusion particularly for assistant referees who may need to look at the sock to determined who last played the ball before it has gone out of play.”

The panel will also consider allowing female Islamic players to participate in official matches while wearing a hijab, which was previously banned from the pitch for safety reasons.

Of the panel, each of Britain’s four associates – England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – is granted one vote each, while four votes are given to FIFA officials.

Any final decisions will take effect on 1 July.

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