Rule changes being considered

Discussion in 'Liverpool' started by SamScouse, Jun 17, 2017.

  1. SamScouse

    SamScouse Member+

    Jun 1, 2015
    Toronto
    Club:
    Liverpool FC
    A proposal to scrap 45-minute halves is to be looked at by football's lawmakers to deter time-wasting.

    Instead, there could be two periods of 30 minutes with the clock stopped whenever the ball goes out of play.

    Lawmaking body the International Football Association Board (Ifab) says matches only see about 60 minutes of "effective playing time" out of 90.

    The idea is one of several put forward in a new strategy document designed to address football's "negativities".

    Another proposal would see players not being allowed to follow up and score if a penalty is saved - if the spot-kick "is not successful", play would stop and a goal-kick awarded.

    Other ideas include a stadium clock linked to a referee's watch and a new rule allowing players to effectively pass to themselves or dribble the ball when taking a free-kick.

    Read the full strategy document here

    Where have these proposals come from?
    The ideas have been put forward to Ifab by stakeholders in the game to tackle "on-field issues" and form part of what it calls its "Play Fair strategy", which has three aims of:

    • improving player behaviour and increasing respect
    • increasing playing time
    • increasing fairness and attractiveness
    Part of the problem the new document highlights is that a 90-minute match has fewer than 60 minutes of playing time because of stoppages and time-wasting.

    Which plans need no law changes?
    The document has put forward a number of radical ideas for discussion, but suggests some proposals can be implemented immediately without the need for law changes.

    Most of these apply to trying to combat time-wasting. The document says match officials should be stricter on the rule which allows keepers to hold the ball for six seconds and be more stringent when calculating additional time.

    Additionally, it suggests match officials stop their watch:

    • from a penalty being awarded to the spot-kick being taken
    • from a goal being scored until the match resumes from the kick-off
    • from asking an injured player if he requires treatment to play restarting
    • from the referee showing a yellow or red card to play resuming
    • from the signal of a substitution to play restarting
    • from a referee starting to pace a free-kick to when it is taken
    Which plans are ready for testing?
    Some of the proposals are already being tested. The idea of only allowing captains to speak to referees - to prevent match officials being mobbed - will be trialled at this summer's Confederations Cup, which starts on Saturday.

    Another proposal involves changing the order of kick-taking in penalty shoot-outs, known as 'ABBA'. It is similar to a tie-break in tennis, with team A taking the first kick, then team B taking two, then team A taking two. That is a change from the traditional 'team A, team B, team A, team B' pattern.

    New suggestions also include players who are being substituted leaving at the closest part of the touchline to them instead of at the halfway line.

    Which ideas are up for discussion?
    This is where it gets interesting. One of the proposals would allow being able to dribble straight from a free-kick to "encourage attacking play as the player who is fouled can stop the ball and then immediately continue their dribble/attacking move". Other measures include:

    • passing to yourself at a free-kick, corner and goal-kick
    • a stadium clock which stops and starts along with the referee's watch
    • allowing the goal-kick to be taken even if the ball is moving
    • a goal-kick being taken on the same side that the ball went out on
    • a "clearer and more consistent definition" of handball
    • a player who scores a goal or stops a goal with his hands gets a red card
    • a keeper who handles a backpass or throw-in from a team-mate concedes a penalty
    • the referee can award a goal if a player stops a goal being scored by handling on or close to the goal-line
    • referees can only blow for half-time or full-time when the ball goes out of play
    • a penalty kick is either scored or missed/saved and players cannot follow up to score to stop encroachment into the penalty area
    Who has come up with these proposals?
    Ifab is made up of Fifa and the four British home football associations - of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - and is responsible for making the final decision on law changes.

    Former English referee David Elleray is Ifab's technical director and has overseen the document.

    "Referees, players, coaches and fans all agree that improving player behaviour and respect for all participants and especially match officials, increasing playing time and the game's fairness and attractiveness must be football's main priority," he said.

    The next stage would involve the ideas being discussed at various meetings before decisions are taken on whether to develop them further or discard them.
     
  2. SamScouse

    SamScouse Member+

    Jun 1, 2015
    Toronto
    Club:
    Liverpool FC
    I;m split on these. Some sound good - eg stop the clock for goal celebrations, subs leave pitch immediately - but others seem a bit odd eg no penalty rebounds, For that one, I'd say nobody other than goalie/taker/refere go into the box until the ball is dead (or goalie has it in his possession).

    One of my pet peeves isn't mentioned - throw-ins take 10+ yards from where the ball went out about a hundred times each game.
     
  3. newterp

    newterp Moderator
    Staff Member

    Jun 6, 2007
    North Potomac, MD
    Club:
    Liverpool FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    generally terrible suggestions - apart from the obvious ones that need to be stamped out.
     
  4. EruditeHobo

    EruditeHobo Member+

    Mar 29, 2007
    San Francisco, CA
    Club:
    Liverpool FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I don't see why passing to yourself or dribbling off a FK is bad.
    The clock thing is... interesting. I'm interested in hearing arguments as to how this changes the game in a bad way. Seems like it would be effective to stamp out time wasting.
    Keeper handling should have always been a pen, don't know why it isn't.
    Red card for handballs denying goal... isn't this already a thing?
    Better language around handballs won't change much because it's always the nature of them that makes it difficult... anywhere you put the line, there will be borderline calls. So no biggie there, go ahead and iron out the rulebook if you want -- won't change much.
    I do like a penalty kick that is a real penalty -- kick it over the line, or that's it. GK if you miss. I won't pine for the days of everyone rushing into the box, half of them operating outside of the rules while doing so, in order to try and dive and poke in a rebound.

    All looks fairly good to me. 30 minute halves with stopped play is the "biggest" change, but what does it REALLY change?
     
  5. liverbird

    liverbird BigSoccer Supporter

    Sep 29, 2000
    Mars
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    We have a great game, why ******** around with it?
     
  6. newterp

    newterp Moderator
    Staff Member

    Jun 6, 2007
    North Potomac, MD
    Club:
    Liverpool FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    yep
     
  7. EruditeHobo

    EruditeHobo Member+

    Mar 29, 2007
    San Francisco, CA
    Club:
    Liverpool FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Because of the guys rolling around on the pitch at the end of close matches instead of playing the great game we've got going here...

    People could have said the same thing about goal line tech.
     
  8. Donfather

    Donfather Member+

    Jun 1, 2015
    Club:
    Liverpool LFC
    Personally, non of the 'proposals ' are ground breaking or a real difference to the game, it just screams of FIFA trying to justify having x amount of people on the payroll and giving them meaningless tasks to do....I can see the trialing some of the improvements at a lower level then deciding it wasn't a good idea

    45 to 30 minutes per half is the most ridiculous suggestion as it seems as though they want to squeeze more live games in a match day, one game every 1/1/2 hours from 1230
     
    LiverpoolFanatic repped this.
  9. delaynomo

    delaynomo Member+

    Jun 1, 2015
    Club:
    Liverpool FC
    I think the point is it won't result in a "shorter" game except for a few minutes by making time wasting pointless
     
  10. Wingtips1

    Wingtips1 Member+

    May 3, 2004
    02116
    Club:
    Liverpool FC
    The game ebbs and flows in terms of tactics over the years and the rules should be able to do same.
    Otherwise we'd have a game where no substitutions are allowed, 2 points would be given for a win, and it took the filing of assault charges to award a yellow card.
     
  11. newterp

    newterp Moderator
    Staff Member

    Jun 6, 2007
    North Potomac, MD
    Club:
    Liverpool FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Also true - but many of the suggested changes are totally unnecessary.
     
  12. Donfather

    Donfather Member+

    Jun 1, 2015
    Club:
    Liverpool LFC
    How about better standard of refereeing ?

    Time wasting, diving, sportsmanship & all the other nonsense is ingrained by the club managers.....it's part and parcel of the game
     
    LiverpoolFanatic repped this.
  13. oikos

    oikos Member+

    Feb 3, 2010
    Glastonbury, CT
    Club:
    Liverpool FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I like the idea of connecting the refs watch to the stadium clock and stopping it after a goal, substitutions or when someone is rolling on the ground. Time wasting would decrease and the arbitrary added time would go away. Wouldn't have had the Fergi time issues
     
  14. White/Blue_since1860

    Orange14 is gay
    Jan 4, 2007
    Bum zua City
    Club:
    TSV 1860 München
    Nat'l Team:
    Germany
    I have a problem with the 60 min net time proposal. I mean a football game lives from up and downs imho. You cant play full throttle for 90mins or all the time and the entertainment comes from up and downs in the playing rhythm. From literally scoring 3 goals in the last 30 mins to come out with a 4-3 win. But that is not my main argument.

    I think this 60 mins rule would be hardly feasible at the amateur level. Youd break the entire sport into pros on one side and amateurs on the other.
     
    LiverpoolFanatic and newterp repped this.
  15. Kawklee

    Kawklee BigSoccer Supporter

    Oct 30, 2008
    Miami
    Club:
    Liverpool FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    the whole point in the clock stops for events like that is so they can start creeping in advertising

    If they stop the clock for a FK, the next step is to make a mandatory 30 second "shot clock" for FKs, from award to take.

    The next step after that is to sell beer in that 30 seconds, while the mandatory time out runs and the players set up
     
  16. drobny23

    drobny23 Member+

    Jun 18, 2007
    Nashville, TN
    Club:
    Liverpool FC
    I like the idea of vesting the referee with discretion on when to end the half or game. Instead of "stopping" the clock, let the 4th official run a displayed clock on how much time is wasted based on the guidelines, then make that the extra time.
     
  17. SamScouse

    SamScouse Member+

    Jun 1, 2015
    Toronto
    Club:
    Liverpool FC
    100% correct. they've been trying for years to find ways to find ways to get the game paused for tv ads. they're trying the "boil a frog slowly" approach.
     
  18. EruditeHobo

    EruditeHobo Member+

    Mar 29, 2007
    San Francisco, CA
    Club:
    Liverpool FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    This group is proposing this based on improving the game... you really think this is a smoke screen for commercials?

    The places that need it already fit their ads in. I'm not concerned clock stoppages mean commercial breaks, their logic re: clock stoppage makes perfect sense to me.
     
  19. SamScouse

    SamScouse Member+

    Jun 1, 2015
    Toronto
    Club:
    Liverpool FC
    hell yeah. all broadcasters would love it. where do they say they want to improve the game for fans?
     
  20. EruditeHobo

    EruditeHobo Member+

    Mar 29, 2007
    San Francisco, CA
    Club:
    Liverpool FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Seems obviously about improving the game... maybe some of the ideas wouldn't work, but clock stoppage philosophically renders time-wasting mostly useless. How is the proposed change in pens or keeper handball a commercial consideration?
     
  21. SamScouse

    SamScouse Member+

    Jun 1, 2015
    Toronto
    Club:
    Liverpool FC
    I didn't say all the changes were bad, but a "fixed stoppage time" idea can very easily be morphed into repeated commercial breaks. I don't like that concept one little bit.

    and no, I don't believe that the ppl involved in these discussions are oblivious to / not influenced by commercial considerations. one would be pretty naive not to see that potential, imo.
     
    Kawklee repped this.
  22. EruditeHobo

    EruditeHobo Member+

    Mar 29, 2007
    San Francisco, CA
    Club:
    Liverpool FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Of course they can, everyone can... if you've seen many US broadcasts you've seen them shoehorn in more ads. The NBC deal has also seen extra revenue in the form of radio-like live reads during a moment here or there, or a small graphic proclaiming the next 15 minutes brought to you by GEICO or whatever...

    That's my point, they're ALREADY doing it! What's the leap to doing it during injuries, for free kicks, for pens, etc? A clock that keeps players honest about how much time is left in a match no matter what doesn't change any of that. If halves are still going to be around 45 minutes but have a clock that keeps players from rolling around faking injuries at the end of games... that's a win.

    They need to deal with lots more, but this is a step in the right direction. I'd love to see something like the confed cup or the gold cup try out some of these rule changes.
     
  23. SamScouse

    SamScouse Member+

    Jun 1, 2015
    Toronto
    Club:
    Liverpool FC
    the US broadcasters do that but UK broadcasters don't. they wouldn't get away with it.

    saying "what's the leap?" seems odd - how can more of an annoying thing be OK?

    this isn't the way to deal with time-wasting. how about: If a player rolls around like he's been shot, he has to stay off the pitch after treatment for X minutes? or - as someone suggested - have the 4th official keep time, since they can be more precise with it (refs have too much to deal with anyway, players yelling at them constantly).
     
  24. EruditeHobo

    EruditeHobo Member+

    Mar 29, 2007
    San Francisco, CA
    Club:
    Liverpool FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    The point about what's the leap is that can already happen... it's currently happening. That has nothing to do with clock stoppage.

    If I thought that clock stoppage would really change the face of the way an EPL match felt, I would agree it's a bad thing. I don't see any good argument as to how it will though. In fact I see mostly good things from my perspective.
     
  25. SamScouse

    SamScouse Member+

    Jun 1, 2015
    Toronto
    Club:
    Liverpool FC
    clock stoppage - per se - may be OK (though I'm not convinced, would need to see it ) but increased intrusion of in-game advertising is what sticks in my throat.
     

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