What do you make of these?
A proposal by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) will look at scrapping 45-minute football halves in order to deter time-wasting.
Instead, the game would be played over two shorter periods of 30 minutes and the clock would be stopped when the ball goes out of play.
The IFAB said that this change is due to their belief that football matches only see about 60 minutes of “effective playing time” from the 90 minutes that are available.
Martyn Ziegler, chief sports reporter for The Times, has more details on some of the other proposals. They include:
- Players will be able to play free kicks or corners to themselves. Essentially, this means that they’re just dribbling.
- Goal kicks will no longer have to leave the penalty area.
- Free kicks will be allowed to stand if the ball is moving.
- A penalty will be awarded if a ‘keeper handles a back-pass.
- A penalty goal could be awarded for deliberate handballs that occur on the goal-line.
- Referees can only blow for half-time or full-time when the ball goes out of play, just like rugby.
Other ideas include disallowing players to follow up and score from a saved penalty. Basically, this means that if their spot-kick doesn’t hit the back of the net, play would stop immediately and a goal-kick would be awarded.
Exclusive: Radical shake-up of football laws including players permitted to dribble from free-kicks + corners: https://t.co/jbh5r4fsWg pic.twitter.com/BLAQtWzhAS
— Martyn Ziegler (@martynziegler) June 17, 2017
The IFAB is made up of FIFA and the four British home football associations – England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
They’re responsible for making the final decision on law changes and former referee David Elleray is the man who has overseen this document.
