FIFA World Cup 2022 is officially here. And there are a number of rules subject to change.
FIFA World Cup 2022 rules to be changed
On and off the field, the FIFA World Cup 2022 will be an event unlike any other. The abhorrent human rights record of Qatar, which indulged the honor of hosting the World Cup for the first time in the Middle East 12 years ago. It has rightfully dominated the build-up. And cast a shadow over what is typically one of the most joyous months in the football calendar.
But the showpiece finals in Qatar will have an unusually eerie atmosphere due to the significant changes to the 22nd edition of the tournament. The fact that the tournament is held in the winter between the league games is a big change in itself.
New rules in Qatar
For the first time in FIFA history, managers can have the luxury of having 15 players listed on their bench. In addition to that, the option of making five replacements while the game is still in progress. There are now 26 members in each squad, up from 23.
The five adjustments can be made within three periods throughout the course of the 90 minutes. It is the same regulations that came into order in the Premier League this season. Each club can make one more substitute if matches in the knockout stages need to go into extra time.
Since the 2019–20 Covid campaign, five substitutes have been made in the European competition. It is with the exception of the Premier League up to August.
Jurgen Klopp of Liverpool and Pep Guardiola of Manchester City had been two of the biggest proponents for the introduction of five substitutes on a permanent basis. The two managers received criticism from Chris Wilder and Sean Dyche. At the time they thought the pair were acting selfishly. Especially given the caliber of players they had on the bench.
But during a Premier League shareholders meeting earlier this year, it was eventually decided that the top division will permit five manager substitutions per game beginning with the 2022–23 season.
For the first time in World Cup history, a semi-automated offside technology will be used in conjunction with VAR. According to FIFA, this technology will allow referees to provide “faster, more precise, and more reproducible offside rulings on the largest stage of all.”
According to a press release from FIFA earlier this year the technology would “use 12 dedicated tracking cameras positioned below the roof of the stadium to track the ball and up to 29 data points of each individual player, 50 times per second, determining their exact position on the pitch,”.
Additional stoppage time add-on
The four games have combined for roughly 65 additional minutes, with England’s match versus Iran clocking in at an astounding 117 minutes and 16 seconds.
That was partially due to an injury; Iran’s Alireza Beiranvand, the goalie, had a concussion following a horrific head collision early on. But it also forms a part of Fifa’s concerted drive to reduce time-wasting by more precisely tracking the length of breaks in play.
A game may be stopped for a variety of reasons, including injuries, decisions made by the video assistant referee, substitutions, penalties, and red cards. Some players may purposefully delay the game’s restart following such situations in an effort to run out the clock.
Pierluigi Collina, the chairman of Fifa’s referees committee, stated last week that fourth officials at the tournament in Qatar had been told to keep account of the time wasted during the game.
