IFAB Law Changes for 2025/26

[santa sangria]

12.2 is all well and good, but they have to actually enforce it on a consistent basis. Not randomly do it every now and again

3.10 Load of nonsense

3.10 we have been doing through this futsal season and in the winter leagues and pre-season for our season proper that starts after Easter. Sometimes we are last with changes, sometimes first.

We got trained at the start of the season to be conscious of unnecessarily approaching players. And to use the outstretched hand to signal to whinging players not to approach.

My FA wanted it for televised futsal to clean up the spectacle and it has been fine. I’m still reminding coaches about it before matches and telling them that we are still learning the change.

For me, most conversations with players are about decisions when they know exactly what we have decided. And it easily becomes low level dissent or worse when a player is shouting from distance to question a decision.

“Only the captain” and use of “the hand” has not revolutionized things. It’s been a subtle shift. It’s been a reason to raise “dissent” in a constructive way pre match, and it’s made it easier to sell dissent cards if we need them.

But it is a change in mentality. We were shown lots of clips to make us think about when we are unnecessarily walking into confrontations. And plenty of referees haven’t adapted at all. But it is positive effect overall I think.

 

[Runner Ref]

From my very very limited experience with Futsal, players seem to have a very different way of showing dissent, snd even then, it wasn’t as common as in football. But as I say, my experience is rather limited.

But we have seen guidance on who can approach referees and when, no more than 5 around the referee etc- and they all get forgotten about after a few weeks.

Look at the law 12.2 is looking to change. There is already law in place for this, but it isn’t enforced. So simply bringing the above in to law is unlikely to change anything.

 

[santa sangria]

12.2 sorry to mention futsal again… futsal referees have to count “every” restart. And it’s done consistently to keep play moving.

I think it will work OK in football. That first three seconds will be elastic I imagine… it’ll be much longer for 99% of kicks. And most refs will only start to count if players whinge. I can’t imagine it will be applied tightly like futsal.

And is the plan fist up and count up with fingers, blow on the 5th?

 

[santa sangria]

From my very very limited experience with Futsal, players seem to have a very different way of showing dissent, snd even then, it wasn’t as common as in football. But as I say, my experience is rather limited.

But we have seen guidance on who can approach referees and when, no more than 5 around the referee etc- and they all get forgotten about after a few weeks.

Look at the law 12.2 is looking to change. There is already law in place for this, but it isn’t enforced. So simply bringing the above in to law is unlikely to change anything.

Well, as said, the “only the captain” is working I think. Subtle but it’s making teams think about it and giving us more tools. And IMHO it is helping. Maybe I don’t want to claim “working” because I’m only @30 matches in and only 3 have been 11-a-side. Ask me again in June when I’ve done another 20 tastier football matches!

 

[es1]

12.2 sorry to mention futsal again… futsal referees have to count “every” restart. And it’s done consistently to keep play moving.

I think it will work OK in football. That first three seconds will be elastic I imagine… it’ll be much longer for 99% of kicks. And most refs will only start to count if players whinge. I can’t imagine it will be applied tightly like futsal.

And is the plan fist up and count up with fingers, blow on the 5th?

Has to be rigid and consistent. Don't see any value in anything but.

 

[RustyRef]

Look at the law 12.2 is looking to change. There is already law in place for this, but it isn’t enforced. So simply bringing the above in to law is unlikely to change anything.

Big differences though, referees hate indirect free kicks in the penalty area as they are a nightmare to manage, whereas a corner is a routine occurrence in a game. Plus it is less likely to have an impact on the game, less than 5% of corners result in a goal, I don't have stats for indirect free kicks in the penalty area but I'd guess it is much higher.

As I said earlier though, it needs to be enforced at all levels of the game otherwise it will just turn into the current 6 seconds law.

 

[Runner Ref]

Big differences though, referees hate indirect free kicks in the penalty area as they are a nightmare to manage, whereas a corner is a routine occurrence in a game. Plus it is less likely to have an impact on the game, less than 5% of corners result in a goal, I don't have stats for indirect free kicks in the penalty area but I'd guess it is much higher.

As I said earlier though, it needs to be enforced at all levels of the game otherwise it will just turn into the current 6 seconds law.

Referees also hate dissent, but it’s very rarely clamped down on……

Im all for change, but there has to be a point to it and it has to actually be followed through on a consistent basis. I just don’t have the confidence in them that it will.

 

[RustyRef]

Referees also hate dissent, but it’s very rarely clamped down on……

Im all for change, but there has to be a point to it and it has to actually be followed through on a consistent basis. I just don’t have the confidence in them that it will.

It has to be very strong messaging that all referees are expected to enforce this. And it obviously has to start from the top, if they don't enforce it then it is unrealistic to expect grass roots referees to.

 

[Runner Ref]

It has to be very strong messaging that all referees are expected to enforce this. And it obviously has to start from the top, if they don't enforce it then it is unrealistic to expect grass roots referees to.

I agree and that’s exactly my point. I just don’t have the faith that they will

 

[one]

I fear that the 3 non visual seconds in 12.2 would still take 5 to 10 seconds before any action is taken.

 

[Runner Ref]

I fear that the 3 non visual seconds in 12.2 would still take 5 to 10 seconds before any action is taken.

Yup. If they had any intention of making it stick, the whole countdown would be visible. Not invisible Mississippis counting

 

[one]

Yup. If they had any intention of making it stick, the whole countdown would be visible. Not invisible Mississippis counting

I can understand the 5. One hand, 5 fingers... but the count could be continued with the same hand. For me, 6 seconds is long enough and no need to change to 8.

As Santa mentioned, the visual count is part of futsal. It mostly works. However still has its problems in the lowest levels of the game (at least where i am) with lazy referees who drop the visual count.

 

[Peter Grove]

Thoughts on IFAB’s proposed changes?

These are not proposed changes, these are confirmed amendments that will take effect as of July 1 this year. As stated in the IFAB announcement:

The International Football Association Board (The IFAB) has approved a number of changes to the Laws of the Game for 2025/26 ...

isn’t anywhere yet, other than in the proposals for law changes that IFAB will discuss.

Again, these are approved changes, not proposals. The change in AR positioning is listed in a section of the announcement that starts by saying:

... the next edition of the Laws of the Game, which will come into effect on 1 July 2025, will feature the following amendments:

 

[RefereeX]

When did we get to a point where we need to change so much law every year by the way?

I don't like the drop ball change, makes it less cut and dry and seems like a bit of a dissent-magnet at lower levels when there's that element of ambiguity to it.

I don’t think it’s intended for anything other than those really sh*tty situations where it’s clearly going to be in possession of team A but law says it’s dropped to team B. Just a tool to help us manage those. Players never know who is meant to get it anyway so don’t think it’ll increase dissent.

 

[CaptainsPlease]

I am rather certain that the 12.2 change will be applied consistently. As there is a visual indication of the majority of the count it will be clearer to observers whether the referee is intending to enforce the law and it will be picked up that way. 8 seconds is fairer too as if a GK makes a save in the air and inadvertently falls you can easily have spent a couple of seconds of that before they even have chance to get to their feet.

And yes... important to note that these are now approved changes not proposed!

 

[RustyRef]

Again, these are approved changes, not proposals. The change in AR positioning is listed in a section of the announcement that starts by saying:

They were proposed when the post was started, confirmed during a meeting yesterday.

 

[Peter Grove]

They were proposed when the post was started, confirmed during a meeting yesterday.

OK then, my apologies. I'm my defence, I would just say that that wasn't immediately apparent from the contents of the post. At the time I read it, it already had a link to the announcement from the IFAB that listed the actual, approved changes - unless that was added later?

 

[Pembroke]

Big differences though, referees hate indirect free kicks in the penalty area as they are a nightmare to manage, whereas a corner is a routine occurrence in a game. Plus it is less likely to have an impact on the game, less than 5% of corners result in a goal, I don't have stats for indirect free kicks in the penalty area but I'd guess it is much higher.

As I said earlier though, it needs to be enforced at all levels of the game otherwise it will just turn into the current 6 seconds law.

Current six second law is fine. Nobody appeals for it, nobody appears to want it, and its never been an issue in any of my games.

Are we going to enforce this on kids games? Nah.

 

[JamesL]

Current six second law is fine. Nobody appeals for it, nobody appears to want it, and its never been an issue in any of my games.

Are we going to enforce this on kids games? Nah.

Can I ref your games please

 

[socal lurker]

I think the 8 second change is a great change. I don’t expect a lot of calls to ever be made. With the visual count, the GK knows where the R is with the timing. The visual count makes it easier for a Ref to call it, easier for the GK to know when it will be called, and harder for the R to not call it. Sure, we are not going to see all GK possession end within 10 seconds. But what we should be getting rid of is the 20-30 second holds—and that is what the Game really needs to get rid of.

I would also like to see a change that allows the R to convert a GK to a CK for delay instead of giving a caution. GKs would care a lot more about that than a late game caution (which often takes more time off, as refs don’t seem to add that time back on consistently).

On the DB, I think the point wad to give the R a tool on those clear unfair events—a defender clears a ball that was clearly going to the other team but gets it back because it hits the ref. Or a red player gets a bare touch on a pass between two blue players, but the red player got the DB because red was last to touch the ball. I don’t expect it to cause a lot of changes from what we have today, but it gives the R tools to prevent injustice.