A number of rule changes have been agreed to ahead of next season following the 133rd annual meeting of the International Football Association Board (IFAB) in Aberdeen, Scotland yesterday.
Some of the main changes have been detailed below:
One change concerns goalkeeper distribution at goal kicks. Previously a goal kick had to travel outside of the box but now a goalkeeper’s teammate can be in the box. However, the second a ‘keeper touches the ball to pass it, the attacking player can enter the box.
Substitutions will now work differently too. In a bid to eliminate time wasting, players being substituted off will be required to leave the field at the nearest line.
Managers and coaches will now be able to be yellow carded rather than being sent straight to the stands.
Players will now also not be allowed to directly interfere with the wall at a free kick and will need to keep a distance of one metre between themselves and the wall.
At penalties, goalkeepers will now be allowed to have just one foot on the goal-line opposed to two.
The IFAB will also provide a more detailed and precise description of what constitutes a handball, particularly when it comes to accidental/non-deliberate handball incidents.
