The International Football Association Board (IFAB) has announced the new laws of the match for the Premier League. The new laws will come into force when the 2016/17 Premier League season commence on the 3rd of August 2016. However, some of the changes were trialled at Euro 2016, which was held in France.
The IFAB announced more than 95 changes and here are some of the major changes.
Top 5 Law Changes by the IFAB
- Change One: Kick-Off – The IFAB announced that the ball can now go backwards and in any direction as we’ve seen at Euro 2016. In the previous law, the ball had to go forward at kick-off.
- Change Two: Pre-Game red cards – Referees have now been granted permission to give players a red card before the kick-off. This will allow referees to punish players who misbehave or behave violently in the warm-up. This law basically states that a player can be sent off anytime between the pre-game assessment and when the referee leaves the field after the match.
- Change Three: The Triple-punishment law has been ended – A player may only be given a yellow card if they concede a penalty. In the previous law, a player was suspended, automatically red-carded and gave away a penalty to the opposite team.
- Change Four: Injury Treatment – The new law says should a player get injured in a challenge that results in a red or yellow card, they will receive treatment quickly on the field.
- Change Five: Penalties – This is the most fascinating A yellow card will be given to a penalty taker who ‘unlawfully feints’ after his run-up is complete. This law states slowing to a stop instantly before shooting is prohibited.
A complete guide to the new laws of the game is available at Fifa’s official website.
