New World Cup Rules Raise Eyebrows Among Former Top Referee: 'That's a Real Missed Opportunity'

Players being substituted must leave the field within ten seconds. Failure to do so will result in a severe penalty: the substitute will only be allowed to enter the field at the next stoppage in play, and no sooner than one minute later. This means the team will have to play with ten players for at least a minute.

Van der Ende: "That's obviously due to players dawdling, but what are we going to do if a player is limping? A referee isn't a doctor, you know. As far as I'm concerned, it makes little difference whether a player takes ten, twelve, or fifteen seconds. So, I don't think those players should have to wait a minute. However, it is very clear that FIFA wants to crack down on time-wasting."

Not only substitutions need to be quicker; tempo is also demanded for goal kicks and throw-ins. Players will have a maximum of five seconds for these actions. If a goalkeeper exceeds this limit during a goal kick, a corner kick will be awarded to the opposing team. For a delayed throw-in, the referee can award possession to the other team.

"That's not going to work, but referees can certainly promote the speed of play with this," states the former top referee, who has been advocating for effective playing time for ten years. "I feel all these rules could be resolved with effective playing time. I generally feel that the creators of these rules have nothing better to do. Why do all players have to come to the halfway line for the national anthems again… That's another two minutes lost."

FIFA also aims to limit match stoppages due to medical treatment. Therefore, players receiving medical attention must now remain off the field for at least one minute. Only then, with the referee's permission, can they re-enter the game. The world football association makes no distinction between genuine and feigned injuries, as this is difficult to objectively determine.

The rule only has two exceptions: when an opponent receives a yellow or red card, and goalkeepers are also exempt from the measure. "It's obviously very strange that you have to go to the sidelines for a minute when a foul has been committed against you. They should reverse that rule, because it makes absolutely no sense," states Van der Ende.

Referees will receive more assistance from the video assistant referees during the World Cup. The VAR will also be allowed to check whether a second yellow card and a corner kick were correctly awarded. Until now, this was prohibited. "I think that's very good. My only surprise is that clubs or countries still can't request a VAR review if they are absolutely convinced something went wrong. That's a real missed opportunity," concludes the critical Van der Ende.

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