'Covering mouth leads to ejection; time-wasting absolutely prohibited' World Cup rules revised... 'Why on earth?'

*This content was translated by AI.

At the 2026 FIFA North American World Cup, deliberate attempts to slow down the game and waste time will be strictly blocked. The tactic of calling for a tactical timeout during a match under the pretext of a goalkeeper injury has been completely banned.

British media 'BBC' reported on the 1st (Korean time) that "FIFA Shim Pan-wi (Director) Pierluigi Colonna has implemented major rule changes to eradicate tactics of slowing down tempo and wasting time at this North American World Cup."

In particular, this tournament includes numerous specific time-limit regulations to prevent game delays. Chairman Colonna stated his intention to prevent the phenomenon of stoppage time extending indefinitely, as seen in the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

If a player deliberately delays a restart in a throw-in situation, the '5-second countdown for throw-in' will apply, where possession is awarded to the opposing team. Additionally, if time is deliberately wasted during a goal kick, the '5-second countdown for goal kick' will be enforced, resulting in a strong penalty where a corner kick is awarded to the opposing team.

Furthermore, a new '10-second limit for substitutions' has been introduced, requiring players being substituted off to exit the field through the nearest touchline within 10 seconds. Violating this rule means the player coming on cannot enter the field for at least one minute, and the team must play with only 10 players for that minute.

A 'one-minute rule for off-field treatment' will also be enforced, requiring players who received medical treatment on the field to leave the touchline and wait at least 60 seconds before returning. Exceptions apply only if the goalkeeper is injured or if an opposing player who committed a foul receives a caution or ejection.

The most radical provision is the 'immediate ejection (red card) for covering the mouth while protesting.' This measure follows the controversy over hate speech that occurred during the Champions League match between Gianluigi Donnarumma (Benfica) and Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid) in February. Players are immediately shown a red card if they cover their mouths with their hands or jerseys while confronting an opponent, unless the conversation is friendly.

Additionally, video assistant referee (VAR) intervention will be possible in cases where a player receives a second caution and is sent off, and regulations have been introduced to quickly verify whether a corner kick has been correctly awarded via VAR.

In particular, so-called 'tactical timeout tricks' have also been banned. According to 'BBC', recently coaches have instructed goalkeepers to lie down with fake injuries to change the flow of the game or halt the opponent's momentum, then called field players to the technical area to give tactical instructions. In November last year, Daniel Farke, manager of Leeds United, strongly criticized Manchester City's goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma for exploiting the rules by feigning injury to stop the match.

Colonna Shim Pan-wi (Director) stated, "We held workshops with coaches from the 48th countries participating in the World Cup. We warned that referees will take very proactive action." He strongly added, "Even if a goalkeeper is down due to injury, we will absolutely not allow players from both teams to move to the bench where the coaching staff is located."

He further noted, "Goalkeepers have the right to get injured during a match, but other players do not have the right to take advantage of that moment to leave the field and have a tactical timeout with their coach." He pointed out that "having all players leave the pitch and go to the bench is not good for the development of football."

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*This content was translated by AI.