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By Seyi Babalola
FIFA’s proposal for a new regulation would require players receiving treatment for an injury to leave the pitch for one minute in order to eliminate time-wasting, address tempo interruption, and improve match flow.
According to the BBC, the proposal is set to be considered at the International Football Association Board’s Annual General Meeting on Saturday, and if approved, it will become part of football’s global code.
As it stands, the Laws of the Game do not specify a mandatory period that injured players must stay off the field after treatment. Domestic competitions are allowed to implement their own guidelines.
“Leagues have the right to set their own guidelines, with the Premier League adopting a 30-second rule since the 2023-24 season.”
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“FIFA held its own trials at the Arab Cup in December, which required a player to stay off the field for two minutes,” BBC reported.
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Furthermore, FIFA referees’ chief Pierluigi Collina says the two-minute rule trial is intended to reduce time-wasting and improve the flow of the game.
IFAB members agreed in January that a fixed time period should be added to the laws, though discussions continued over the exact duration, as there was disagreement over the length of time and strong opposition against the initial two-minute timeframe.
The proposed one-minute rule is seen as a compromise between maintaining fairness and improving the pace of the game.
It mirrors a similar approach taken by Major League Soccer in the US, which mandates a player to leave the field temporarily if he remains on the ground for more than 15 seconds and the medics are called on.
