- Football's governing body, Fifa, has prohibited the practice of goalkeepers feigning injury to allow teammates to receive tactical instructions from coaches on the touchline, a measure aimed at preventing time-wasting at the World Cup.
- Under the new rules, if a goalkeeper is injured, players from both teams must remain in their positions or gather in the centre circle, strictly forbidden from approaching the touchline for coaching advice.
- Further measures to speed up play include a five-second countdown for throw-ins and goal-kicks, with penalties for deliberate delays, and a ten-second limit for substituted players to leave the field at the nearest point, otherwise the team plays with ten men for a minute.
- Players covering their mouths during confrontational exchanges with opponents may now face a red card, a rule introduced following a high-profile incident involving alleged racist abuse.
- Video Assistant Referee (VAR) protocols have been updated, granting VAR new powers to intervene if clear fouls are committed by the attacking team immediately before the ball is in play at set-pieces, impacting a goal, penalty, or disciplinary sanction.
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