Fifa Proposes One-Minute Rule for Injured Players to Curb Time-Wasting
Proposal aims to reduce time-wasting and improve match flow.
- Fifa proposes mandatory one-minute sideline period for treated players.
- Move targets time-wasting and tempo disruption in matches.
- Ifab to review proposal after pushback on earlier two-minute trial.
Players who receive on-field treatment for injuries may soon be required to remain off the pitch for at least one minute under new proposals from Fifa. The measure is part of broader efforts to reduce time-wasting and improve the tempo of matches.
The proposal is expected to be discussed and potentially approved at the upcoming annual general meeting of the International Football Association Board (Ifab), the body responsible for determining the laws of the game.
Currently, the Laws of the Game do not specify how long injured players must stay off the field. Individual leagues can set their own guidelines. In the Premier League, players have been required to remain off the pitch for 30 seconds after receiving treatment since the 2023-24 season.
Fifa previously tested a stricter approach during the Arab Cup in December, where injured players had to stay off for two minutes. According to Fifa’s head of referees, Pierluigi Collina, the extended period was designed to discourage players from exaggerating injuries and to maintain the flow of the game.
A similar system is already in place in Major League Soccer (MLS), where players who stay down for more than 15 seconds and require medical attention must temporarily leave the field.
However, discussions at an Ifab meeting in January revealed disagreement over the length of the proposed mandatory period, with significant resistance to adopting the two-minute rule. As a compromise, a one-minute requirement is now being considered for inclusion in the official laws.
