FIFA Pushes Longer Sideline Stays For Injured Players

Football’s rule-makers are set to implement a significant change aimed at curbing time-wasting, with proposals mandating that players treated for injuries must remain off the pitch for a fixed period.

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) is widely expected to rubber-stamp the measure at its annual general meeting on Saturday. This initiative forms part of a broader drive to tackle disruptions to the game’s tempo and address lost playing time.

Presently, the Laws of the Game do not stipulate a specific waiting period for injured players before they can re-enter the field. Individual leagues are permitted to establish their own guidelines; for example, the Premier League has operated with a 30-second benchmark since the 2023-24 season.

This new global proposal, championed by FIFA, seeks to standardise the approach. FIFA previously trialled a two-minute off-field period during the Arab Cup in December.

Pierluigi Collina, FIFA’s chief of refereeing, clarified that the extended duration is specifically intended to deter time-wasting and improve the overall flow of matches. This model mirrors a system employed in Major League Soccer (MLS), which is activated if a player stays on the ground for more than 15 seconds, prompting the physio to enter the pitch.

While a January IFAB meeting saw a consensus that a fixed exclusion period should be incorporated into the laws, the precise duration remains a point of contention. Sources suggest there was considerable opposition to the two-minute proposal, indicating the final approved time may be shorter than FIFA’s initial trial.