The International Football Association Board (IFAB) have decided to introduce three new rules to the Premier League next season in an attempt to address some of the issues which have arisen this year.
VAR is unsurprisingly one of the areas to have been discussed. This season, there have been countless controversial and inconsistent decisions made by the Video Assistant Referee, and officials have often baffled many by declining to use the pitchside monitors to review incidents themselves.
During VAR's debut season, officials were encouraged to avoid using the monitors to ensure the flow of the game was not disrupted, but the IFAB have now decided to promote the use of the screens.
"Where a reviewable incident is subjective, the expectation is that the referee will undertake an 'on-field review'," a statement read (via the Daily Mail).
"It was furthermore agreed that more insight into the decision-making process, for example access to the conversation between match officials during a review, would not be appropriate at this point, but that more effort should be made to enhance existing communication approaches to improve understanding of the review process and the referee's final decision."
There was also clarification on what will constitute a handball in the penalty area. Starting next season, a penalty will only be given if an accidental handball 'immediately' results in a goal, meaning that the ball would only travel a short distance or there are very few passes after the incident.
Finally, the case of goalkeepers coming off their line during penalties will also be changed. There have been plenty of confusing decisions made, with penalties being retaken as soon as the goalkeeper is spotted off his line, but now that will only happen if the initial kick is saved. If a penalty completely misses the target, it will not be retaken.
Encroachment from an outfield player will still result in a retake, regardless of whether the first strike goes in or not.
The hope is that these changes will avoid any confusion going forwards, but the IFAB will continue to hold meetings to discuss any potential alternations to the regulations if any further problems are discovered.
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Source :
90min
