During its 138th Annual General Meeting (AGM), held at Loch Lomond, Scotland, the Scottish Football Association hosted the IFAB. The AGM approved a number of changes and clarifications to the Laws of the Game pertaining to players, including those concerning permanent concussion substitutes, player equipment, fouls and misconduct, and penalty kicks.
The present youth and grassroots football temporary dismissal policies have been enhanced. Only after evaluating the effects of these modifications will any possible broader application be taken into consideration.
The FIFA trial, in which the referee publicly discloses the conclusions and the reasoning following a video assistant referee (VAR) review or extensive VAR check, will now be extended to other competitions, according to an IFAB resolution.
Competitions that wish to participate must obtain approval from The IFAB and pledge to abide by FIFA’s rules regarding technology and officiating.
Modifications and explanations for the 2024–2025 Laws of the Game
On July 1, 2024, the following revisions and clarifications will be included in the upcoming Laws of the Game edition:
- Law 3 (The Players): In compliance with the required protocol, additional permanent concussion substitutes shall be available as a competitive option.
- Law 3 (The Players) and Law 4 (The Players’ Equipment): A team captain who dons an armband designating their team is required for each squad.
- Law 4 (The Players’ Equipment): Shinguards are still required as part of the players’ equipment, and it is the players’ responsibility to ensure that they are the proper size and fit.
- Law 12 (Fouls and Misconduct) states that infractions using handball that are not intentional and for which a penalty is imposed must be handled the same as other fouls.
- Law 14 (The Penalty Kick): An outfield player’s encroachment is only penalized if it makes an impact, and the ball must contact or overhang the center of the penalty mark.
Even though the modifications will go into effect on July 1st, 2024, competitions that begin before then are free to adopt them sooner or postpone them until the next competition begins, at the latest.
Confirmed Trials
In order to improve participant behavior, detailed procedures were approved for three trials in domestic contests that are not in the top two divisions. These trials are as follows:
- In some circumstances, the referee may only be approached by the captain of the team.
- Addition of cooling-off times, which give the referee the authority to order teams to their own penalty area.
- Extending the time restriction to eight seconds for goalkeepers to hold the ball; if they don’t, the other team will regain possession.