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An ancient Chinese philosopher once said that one thing is certain – things will change. To a large extent, that is true.
We see it every day in our jobs, our leisure time and even in our domestic life.
I am not against change. What I am against is change for the sake of change, and to me the tampering that is going on with the laws of the game is causing confusion when it’s supposed to clear up confusion.
There has been much criticism of the video assistant referee (VAR) technology.
How come there weren’t any critics when they brought in goal line technology?
Simply put, it’s because that technology is black and white – it’s either a goal or it’s not a goal.
You could argue that the same could be applied to VAR, and I agree, except there are so many differing opinions regarding VAR decisions. This referee says A and that referee says B. And therein lies the problem.
Anyway, enough about that.
The International Football Association Board has again tinkered with the laws.
I might not have enough space this week to set them all out. If not, I’ll continue next week with the remaining ones.
Law 1 – The field of play (the goals)
It says that the goalposts and the crossbar must be made of approved material. They must be square, rectangular, round or a combination of these shapes, and must not be dangerous.
Explanation
So they’re now saying that, instead of the goalposts being either or, they can be a combination of the four basic shapes. Can you imagine the goalposts being square and the crossbar round?
Law 2 – The ball
If the ball becomes defective, play is stopped.
The game is restarted with a new ball from where the last became defective.
That’s to bring it into line with Law 8, which deals with the start and restart of play.
Law 4 – Players’ equipment
This is to do with the electronic performance and tracking systems. You might have seen the little item they put in the player’s shirt around the shoulder at the back of the shirt.
This system tracks the player’s performance, including heart rate. It has to have the Fifa mark of quality before it can be allowed.
Law 10 – Determining the outcome of a match (kicks from the penalty mark)
If a player is sent off (red card), he will not be allowed to take part in the penalty kicks.
The new directive is that yellow cards (YCs) received by a player in the 90 minutes or extra time are not carried forward to the kicks from the penalty mark because it is not deemed part of the game per se.
Read: Hanging Judge | The more the law changes, the more it stays the same
So all YCs are wiped out at the end of extra time or if the game goes to penalties after 90 minutes.
If a goalkeeper commits an offence during the kick from the penalty mark, he gets a verbal warning and is cautioned (YC) for any subsequent offence. The kick is retaken.
If the keeper and the kicker commit an offence at the same time, the kick is recorded as missed and the kicker is cautioned.
Explanation
- Most goalkeepers’ encroachment results from incorrectly anticipating when the ball will be kicked, so the goalkeeper should be warned for a first offence, but must be cautioned for any further offence(s) at the retaken kick and/or any subsequent kick.
- When (rarely) the goalkeeper and the kicker offend at exactly the same time, the kicker should be penalised, as it is the “illegal” feinting that causes the goalkeeper’s encroachment.
I’ll continue from Law 11, which deals with offside, next week.
Stay safe, stay well and keep your distance during this Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic.
Please feel free to make comments or ask questions. Happy whistling!
Follow me on Twitter @dr_errol or email thehangingjudge88@gmail.com
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