The International Football Association Board (IFAB) have three rule changes lined up that will impact Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur. The IFAB, which is the only governing body authorised to decide and agree on changes to the Laws of the Game, was founded in 1886 by the four British football associations (The FA, Scottish FA, FA of Wales and Irish FA).
FIFA, who represent the remaining 207 national associations, completed the board in 1913 before the IFAB eventually registered as an official independent association in 2014. In order for a rule to be implemented or changed, a passing motion requires a three-quarters majority.
The FA, Scottish FA, FA of Wales and Irish FA each have one vote, while FIFA has a total of four votes. The football rule makers state that this is done to 'ensure that laws are preserved respecting football’s traditions as well as its international reality'.
That said, the IFAB has drawn up some potential rule changes ahead of next season. So, football.london has rounded up everything you need to know about what's in the pipeline and how it impacts the Premier League.
Tactical time outs
According to the BBC, football's rule makers are looking to tackle the growing number of goalkeepers who go down for treatment to trigger 'tactical time outs'. At the start of the season, David Raya was spotted going down for treatment – under instruction from the Arsenal bench – during the Gunners' 2-2 draw with Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
As the Spaniard went down, the outfield players were given a 'tactical time out', running to the sideline to take on instructions. The IFAB chief executive has conceded that it could be difficult to iron out these instances.
"We're monitoring that," said David Elleray. "It's not easy to deal with because the goalkeeper has a right to be treated. We noticed it developed a couple of years ago and sometimes it's used very much as a tactic when a player gets sent off. It’s something that's on our radar."
Offside law tweaks
The IFAB is exploring ways to tweak the current offside law to give a greater advantage to the attacking team. Arsene Wenger, who's the chief of global football development at FIFA, has previously floated the idea of a 'daylight' rule, where an attacking player would be regarded as onside if any part of their body overlapped a defender.
The former Arsenal boss has since had second thoughts, but football's rule makers seem eager to find a middle ground. As quoted by the BBC, Elleray said: "We all agree that it would be nice if goals weren't necessarily chalked off for a toenail or a nose. It is part of an early debate but we are seeing if there are ways in which we could deal with the challenges."
Goalkeepers 'forced' to release the ball
The IFAB want to introduce an eight-second countdown rule that forces goalkeepers to release the ball. According to the BBC, trials in Premier League 2 and in Malta have 'proved effective'.
There is, of course, the six-second goalkeeper rule, which is supposed to result in an indirect free-kick being awarded, but that's very rarely enforced at any level of football. The BBC state that the IFAB want: a referee to raise their hand in the air after three seconds before a final five second countdown begins, by which time the ball must be played.
The report states that a formal rule change is 'likely' to happen by the 2026/27 season.
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