Countdowns on throw-ins and goal kicks plus 10-second time limits on substitutions could happen at this summer’s World Cup as the game’s lawmakers seek to keep the tempo of matches flowing.
The introduction of an eight-second limit for goalkeepers to release the ball from hand was positively received and now the International Football Association Board (IFAB) is working to extend the countdown principle to other areas of play.
Referees are set to be empowered to impose a five-second countdown on dead ball goal kicks and on throw-ins if they feel a player is taking too long.
Substitutions were identified as another area where teams seek to disrupt tempo and these could be limited to 10 seconds, with substitutes barred from entering the field for a period of time–potentially a minute–if the 10-second limit is exceeded.
Injured players also could be forced to remain off the field for a fixed period of time, again to deter teams from using injuries as a way to break up play.
Asked whether the measures might be implemented for the World Cup in North America, the IFAB’s technical director David Elleray said, “They could be, yes.”
Football Association of Wales chief executive Noel Mooney, who chaired the IFAB’s annual business meeting in London last month, said, “We all get frustrated when we see a game stopped, and we’re [all] suspicious if the game has been stopped for the right reasons, [or if it has been] done for tactical reasons, and so on.
“So we really wanted to focus on that, certainly this year, and we’ve got a number of measures that I think will make the game much better.”
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