FIFA Trials Two New Refereeing Rules in the Tournament

FIFA has approved the trial of two new refereeing rules during the Gulf Cup 27 tournament. The first aims to curb goalkeepers’ deliberate feigning of injury to waste time, while the second addresses collisions between attackers and defenders during set pieces. Under the first rule, if the referee determines that a goalkeeper deliberately feigned injury to stop play, the team’s coach will be given 10 seconds to select a player to leave the field for one minute. If no player is chosen within that time, the referee will order the team captain to leave the field for the same duration; if the goalkeeper is the captain, the second captain on the field will be sent off. The new rule raises questions about how to determine whether a goalkeeper deliberately feigned injury, as the decision rests on the referee’s judgment during the match, making its application a point of close observation throughout the tournament. The second rule concerns situations where an attacker pushes a defender during a set piece, before the attack continues and results in a goal. Under the new trial, no foul will be awarded in favor of the defender as is currently the case; instead, the goal will be disallowed and the set piece will be retaken. These trials are part of efforts to develop the laws of the game and address issues related to time-wasting and controversial refereeing decisions. Their outcomes will be evaluated after Gulf Cup 27 before considering their formal adoption.