New rules for 2016..whats your opinion?

That's for the Euro 2016 tournament.... Sorry for omission.

Kick-off rule change: makes no difference

Pre-match red cards: Doesn't seem like this is necessary or needed, though I don't have a problem with the rule per-se. I doubt we will see one at this tournament, but assuming it is implemented for next season, I'd expect we might see one every season or two.

Leaving Match for treatment - common sense at last prevailing! Just need to do something about all the diving and play acting now.

Triple Punishment change - I suspect we will see a lot more last-ditch fouls and penalties as a result if defenders now know they will effectively get away with it.

perhaps we will see more pelanties as refs dont have to award red ?


interesting to see how it plays out




engerlands last few friendlies were played to these rules

Law 1 - the field of play

Logos permitted on corner flags (previously banned).

Mix of artificial and natural surfaces allowed on
field of play (previously banned).

Law 3 - the players

If a substitute, sent-off player or match official
interferes with play, causing the game to be stopped,
it will result in a direct free-kick or penalty
(previously indirect free-kick or drop-ball).

If a substitute, team official or outside agent stops
a ball going into the goal, the referee can apply the
advantage rule and award a goal.

Law 4 - the players' equipment

Players wearing undershorts or tights have to make sure
they are the same colour as those worn by any team-mates
- and they must also match their shorts.

A player leaving the field of play to change their boots
can only be allowed back on by the referee.

Law 5 - the referee

Referees have the authority to take action from when they
enter the field of play for the pre-match inspection, not
from the start of the game - which means players could be
sent off for an offence committed while warming up. But
yellow cards can only be issued from the start of the match.

Players injured by opponents who are then sent off do not
need to leave the pitch for treatment.

Law 7 - duration of the match

Time taken for drinks breaks can now officially be added on
at the end of a game.

Law 8 - the start and restart of play

The ball no longer has to move forward at a kick-off - it
just has to move for the game to start.

Referees should not 'manufacture' dropped ball situations,
in terms of who takes them, or the outcome.

Law 10 - Determining the outcome of a match

Deciding which end a penalty shootout should take place
is to be done by a coin-toss, subject to condition of the
pitch, or safety concerns. It is no longer the referee's
choice.

A team with more players than the other when the shootout
starts must reduce the number of takers so they have the
same number of eligible players - this will stop teams who
have had a player sent off having their better penalty takers
available sooner.

Law 11 - offside

Hands and arms are not included when judging offside.

Free-kicks for offside can be taken from where the offside
player received the ball.

Law 12 - fouls and misconduct

Mike Dean
Indirect free-kicks used to be awarded when restarting
games following offences against match officials. But
lawmakers thought this sent out the wrong message, so
they have upped it to a direct free-kick

A free-kick or penalty can only be awarded while the
ball is in play.

Denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity in the penalty
area is no longer a straight red card - unless the offence
is holding, pulling or pushing; there's no attempt to play
or no possibility of making a challenge; or it's an offence
which is punishable by a red card, no matter where on the
pitch it happens - violent conduct, for example.

Violent conduct is punishable by a red card even if no contact
is made.

An offence against a match official will result in a direct
free-kick or penalty.

Law 13 - free-kicks

When fouls are committed off the pitch when the ball is in
play, the match is restarted with a free-kick on the touchline
nearest where the incident occurred. A direct free-kick will
be awarded for direct free-kick offences - and a penalty could
be awarded if it happens parallel to the penalty area.

Law 14 - the penalty kick

Players who feint to kick the ball once they have taken a run-up when
taking a penalty will get booked for unsporting behaviour. Feinting
in the run-up is allowed. And goalkeepers who come off their line
too early will also be booked.

Law 15 - the throw-in

Opposing players who try to impede a throw-in will be cautioned
if they are standing under two metres away.

Law 17 - the corner kick

The wording has been changed in the laws to say: "The ball is in
play when it is kicked and clearly moves." This is to stop players
"unsportingly" touching the ball and pretending the corner has not
been taken, to gain an advantage.

Italy to trial video replays for penalties

Meanwhile, the IFAB has selected the Italian Football
Federation to carry out a new trial of video replays.

The technology will be used to help referees decide whether
a goal has been scored, whether a penalty should be awarded,
whether a player should be sent off, or in cases of mistaken
identity.

Italian Football Federation president Carlo Tavecchio said:
"We were among the first supporters of using technology on
the pitch and we believe we have everything required to offer
our contribution to this important experiment."

Tests initially will be in private before moving to a live
pilot phase with replay assistance by the 2017-18 season at the latest.

Leaving Match for treatment - common sense at last prevailing! Just need to do something about all the diving and play acting now.


Thats a good one , why they had to leave is beyond me

I'd like to see a clamp down on wrestling during corner kicks.

Does the ball still have to move one circumference distance at kick-of?

Ball should be directly on the center spot.  Ball should be completely in the corner quadrant.

Sorry that should be ball should be directly center on the penalty spot.

None of these changes address my 3 biggest problems with football.

1. Diving.  Especially players falling to the ground holding their face as if theyve been punched out of sight of the ref
2. Goalkeepers being allowed to throw themselves fist first into attackers on crossed balls, for too long goalkeepers have been given too much protection.  They are allowed to batter their way through bodies in a manner that would be an automatic red and ban for violent conduct by anyone else.  What makes it worse is when they miss the ball, they pretty much always get a free kick if they dont land on their feet.  Dozens of outfield players have had dangerous head knocks or knees/elbows to the face, the goalkeepr usually gets praised for how brave they are.
3. Defenders being allowed to usher the ball out of play by blocking the attacking player, they can do anything they want to the attacking player without ever making an attempt to touch the ball.  So many times you see defenders 3+ yards away from the ball, not even looking at it, leave the forward sprawling on the ground and the refs dont give a sh1t.

Diving yes.  Should be a red card offence... There have been some terrible  examples of players 'simulating'  injury as if pole axed when they have either not been touched or it bears no relation to the part of the body supposed to have been affected.  It's a disgusting tactic and needs harsh action.  Another missed opportunity.

I'm pretty sure only violent conduct can result in retrospective bans after a game, like Suarez biting everyone.  I'd throw in diving aswell to go to a panel.

You cant expect the ref to get it right on the day and I wouldnt want to see games stop for hawkeye every 5 minutes, the post game panels are already there for violent conduct so why not punnish diving too.

i dont like feigning of injury but i'm not sure why diving bothers people and professional fouling is seen as ok?

Call me old fashioned but it's against the spirit of the game.  Trouble is the money makes it essential to get one over your opponent by whatever means necessary.  These types should be referred to as cheats by pundits, the press and every other forum of communication,  not faffing around with semantics.

Call me old fashioned but it's against the spirit of the game.  Trouble is the money makes it essential to get one over your opponent by whatever means necessary.  These types should be referred to as cheats by pundits, the press and every other forum of communication,  not faffing around with semantics.

I'd like to see corners, free kicks, throw-ins and penalties taken with much quicker I can't see anything that addresses that. Time wasting is my biggest bug-bear, especially as i'm predominantly a goals bettor.

The time wasted on these is ludicrous at times.

morals have long gone in football, so why the media try and argue anything on those grounds i dont know, players try to win by whatever means, i dont like diving but i dislike the hypocrisy of the pundits even more, an attacker risks a yellow card trying to get an advantage by diving (getting a pen say) a defender risks a yellow card with a blatant foul trying to save a goal, there is no difference

except perhaps the defender will sometimes cause injury by the professional foul

At the end of the day we all know the vast majority of pundits enjoy the gravy train too much to tell it like it is, so you get this softening of language and spin.

Tend to agree with Rider on fouls, defenders are every bit as bad as the attackers, in basketball players have set amounts of fouls and use them in certain situations, defenders are no different, they know they've often got one freebie, then a yellow, then if they have any sense it's tread cautiously.

Diving and blatant goal saving fouls, two sides of the same coin and they'll never be eradicated.

It's how professional sport is played, players push the rules as far as they can.

The days of 'play up play up and play the game' have long gone, it's a billion pound business. 'Fair play' is sadly almost entirely an anachronism, life isn't fair, society such as it is isn't fair either - it's the world we have created. Sport just plays by the same rules now.

I'd like to diving and time-wasting eradicated, but they won't be.

Something needs to be done about the "taking one for the team" yellow cards.  It's getting silly now with rugby tackles becoming part of the game.  Maybe something along the lines of no attempt to play the ball = a penalty

dirkdigger/goballistic, i think you could reduce this but the rules need to changed, the sin bin has been suggested, but i prefer that the team disadvantaged gets to take a free kick from anywhere they like outside of the oppositions area, currently the free kick on the half way line is no compensation for a dangerous counter attack ended by a professional foul, this would make players think more carefully about blatantly breaking the rules (including blatant dives)

trouble is i'm not sure they are brave enough to do it as it would change the game a lot, for the better imo as you would have more goals (probably getting an average in excess of 3 per game) and more open play, obviously from a betting point of view the odds would adjust accordingly so it wouldnt become any easier to win but the game would be better to watch

Good idea Rider.

I doubt they agree to do anything so radical go as you say, they're far happier spinning and turning a blind eye to it.

The four best third-placed teams are determined according to the following criteria

    Higher number of points obtained;
    Superior goal difference;
    Higher number of goals scored;
    Fair play conduct;
    Position in the UEFA national team coefficient ranking system.



maybe fair play should be higher ?

Dirk Diggler

I'd like to see corners, free kicks, throw-ins and penalties taken with much quicker I can't see anything that addresses that. Time wasting is my biggest bug-bear, especially as i'm predominantly a goals bettor.

The time wasted on these is ludicrous at times.

I totally agree with you Dirk.  The main culprit re the time wasting at corners/free kicks is the referee.  I am fed up with the amount of times the ref steps in to delay the corner/free kick and starts warning players against pushing/pulling.  The players don't get warned before committing a foul at any other time in the game so why do at at set pieces?  In any event the pushing normally continues when the kick is finally taken and the ref very rarely gives anything but a foul against the attacking team.

I want to see goalkeepers sent off is they move off their line at a penalty kick.

I totally agree with you Dirk.  The main culprit re the time wasting at corners/free kicks is the referee.  I am fed up with the amount of times the ref steps in to delay the corner/free kick and starts warning players against pushing/pulling.  The players don't get warned before committing a foul at any other time in the game so why do at at set pieces?  In any event the pushing normally continues when the kick is finally taken and the ref very rarely gives anything but a foul against the attacking team.


It's a totally broken 'system', better off letting the player take the corner than adjudicate when the ball is in the air.

I want to see goalkeepers sent off is they move off their line at a penalty kick.


Yes, and all other players removed to half way line when a kick is taken that stops the endless argy bargy round the 18 yard box.

I dont think we need to send a keeper off for moving form his line, we just need to apply the rule that already exists.

If a keeper jumps a yard closer to the ball and makes a save, the ref can have the penalty retaken, just because that doesnt happen as often as it should you dont need to go mental.

You could also card the goalkeeper for time wasting in that situation.

There should be an independent timekeeper.

The clock (shown on the scoreboard) should be stopped for goals / substitutions / injured players as well as general time wasting. We would  get matches lasting maybe 10 (exciting) minutes longer, more goals,  and manages may well stop lining up their subs to bring on one by one in the last 5 minutes if they can see that the clock stops for the whole of the match time wasted.

Diving is worse than taking performance enhancing drugs imo. Perpetrators should get a 12 month ban minimum.

Divers should be shot...they seem to go down as if they have been

by the way, there are no rules in football