General Keeper Tactical Time-wasting Banned

[Emilio]

World Cup 2026: Goalkeeper tactical timeouts banned

Players at the 2026 World Cup will be stopped from going to the technical area to talk to coaches when goalkeepers are injured.

www.bbc.co.uk

FIFA have acted to ban goalkeeper "tactical timeouts" at the WC (the one thing to come from the WC that I can actually get behind). If a keeper goes down injured, players won't be allowed to approach the technical area to discuss tactics etc; a time-wasting trait that has become all too common in the modern game.

I'm sure we all know the rule that forces players who receive treatment to leave the pitch for 30 seconds (which is set to increase to a minute next season, I believe) hasn't applied to keepers, with the view that it would be a significant disadvantage for a team to have to play without one. We've seen teams abuse this time and time again, to disrupt play, waste time, and allow their team mates to talk tactics with the coach. We've even been guilty of it ourselves on occasion (famously against Peterborough in the 2nd playoff semi).

While this won't stop keepers going down purely for time-wasting purposes, at least it removes one reason for this workaround teams have been using for too long!

 

[ZeroTheHero]

You have to applaud any measures designed to reduce the amount of cheating in the game. Next step? Any throw ins taken too far forward after a ref has indicated where it *should* be taken, to be called a foul throw and given to the other team. If they can look at grappling at the same time, that would be good!

 

[Sarge]

Good. thats one annoying tactic being addressed (partially at least). There are others too, which it appears are currently not being eliminated as yet


if FIFA were to tighten up on shirt pulling and grappling with/and holding defenders ( especially on set pieces) Declan Rice will be on a yellow card after the first corner England concedes

 

[Marked Ox]

if FIFA were to tighten up on shirt pulling and grappling with/and holding defenders ( especially on set pieces) Declan Rice will be on a yellow card after the first corner England concedes

Pretty much everybody in the area would be in the book!

Still do it though.

 

[Sarge]

Pretty much everybody in the area would be in the book!

Still do it though.

far too much IMO

 

[Swaby39]

Birmingham did the double on us with this b*****s. Home and away they used this and the game changed on both occasions.

Hate it, so I’m glad to see it’s being stamped out.

 

[Steve Gilbert]

You have to applaud any measures designed to reduce the amount of cheating in the game. Next step? Any throw ins taken too far forward after a ref has indicated where it *should* be taken, to be called a foul throw and given to the other team. If they can look at grappling at the same time, that would be good!

Pretty sure this is already a rule but never enforced.

 

[Marked Ox]

far too much IMO

I meant booking all the players. Crack down on it (defenders & attackers) from the start and keep doing it. Not this do it for 2 weeks as the "priority" and then Refs seem to forget all about it. It would be chaos for a few weeks but players would have to learn.

Hopefully then it would sink in for the players.

 

[ZeroTheHero]

Pretty sure this is already a rule but never enforced.

Well that is (of course) as much of a problem as there being no rule!

You can add the not shouting at or surrounding the ref, not grappling (WWE wrestling in some cases!) at corners, the time a goalie can hold onto a ball (now improved) etc etc. And then there are the rules that *are* enforced - sometimes to a ludicrous degree, like when a ball is blasted at someone from five yards away and it hits a hand, or repeated videos show that a player was offside by 3mm of his shoulder.

 

[Steve Gilbert]

Well that is (of course) as much of a problem as there being no rule!

You can add the not shouting at or surrounding the ref, not grappling (WWE wrestling in some cases!) at corners, the time a goalie can hold onto a ball (now improved) etc etc. And then there are the rules that *are* enforced - sometimes to a ludicrous degree, like when a ball is blasted at someone from five yards away and it hits a hand, or repeated videos show that a player was offside by 3mm of his shoulder.

The issue is that people seem to want the 'perfect' game with no mistakes from refs. All it has done is over complicate things (offside and handball) and make the game become sterile (VAR). Refs are human, they will make mistakes, just the same as players will make several mistakes during a game such as, a miss placed pass or not picking up a runner.

 

[RgYellows]

Think it’s really bold of OUFC fans to criticise anyone for the goalkeeper trick.

 

[Emilio]

Think it’s really bold of OUFC fans to criticise anyone for the goalkeeper trick.

As I said, we've been guilty of it ourselves, and barring the playoff moment, I think the vast majority will agree it's effing stupid and needs stamping out.

 

[The Voice Of Reason]

Hallelujah

 

[ZeroTheHero]

The issue is that people seem to want the 'perfect' game with no mistakes from refs. All it has done is over complicate things (offside and handball) and make the game become sterile (VAR). Refs are human, they will make mistakes, just the same as players will make several mistakes during a game such as, a miss placed pass or not picking up a runner.

Exactly. But I think those people are often armchair/TV fans or the dreaded TV pundits. Those of us who go to live games will often think a ref/lino has got something wrong and will (of course) berate them for it. But we have all seen enough games to put it out of our minds (at least for the moment!) and carry on watching and supporting our team. Football was never meant to be 'perfect'. Officials make errors, players cock things up, managers pick the wrong team and supporters will get at a ref for getting something wrong when it turns out they got it right!

On the telly, football is killed by VAR and over-analysis.

 

[OUFCGav]

Exactly. But I think those people are often armchair/TV fans or the dreaded TV pundits. Those of us who go to live games will often think a ref/lino has got something wrong and will (of course) berate them for it. But we have all seen enough games to put it out of our minds (at least for the moment!) and carry on watching and supporting our team. Football was never meant to be 'perfect'. Officials make errors, players cock things up, managers pick the wrong team and supporters will get at a ref for getting something wrong when it turns out they got it right!

On the telly, football is killed by VAR and over-analysis.

partly, I also think there is the influence of gambling. On a global stage there is a massive amount of money riding on football, somewhere around £75billion a year. With some of the money riding on big games, the industry doesn't want a distracted lino costing them hundreds of millions.

 

[ZeroTheHero]

partly, I also think there is the influence of gambling. On a global stage there is a massive amount of money riding on football, somewhere around £75billion a year. With some of the money riding on big games, the industry doesn't want a distracted lino costing them hundreds of millions.

That sounds suspiciously like the (gambling) tail wagging the (footballing) dog. If top level football is more about third party gambling than football (and you may well be right) then no wonder the upper reaches of football seem to have become completely sterile.

 

[Trevor L]

The issue is that people seem to want the 'perfect' game with no mistakes from refs. All it has done is over complicate things (offside and handball) and make the game become sterile (VAR). Refs are human, they will make mistakes, just the same as players will make several mistakes during a game such as, a miss placed pass or not picking up a runner.

It will never happen, but I'd like the game to revert to an old fashioned offside rule where to be offside the striker needs to be beyond the last defender with a visible gap.

The problem for refs of course is the need to look at two things at once - the defensive line and the player on the ball making the forward pass. But an offside law is necessary as proved by the early years of the game when teams left a forward goal hanging which resulted perversely in a more defensive game as teams left players back to cover.

 

[Steve Gilbert]

It will never happen, but I'd like the game to revert to an old fashioned offside rule where to be offside the striker needs to be beyond the last defender with a visible gap.

The problem for refs of course is the need to look at two things at once - the defensive line and the player on the ball making the forward pass. But an offside law is necessary as proved by the early years of the game when teams left a forward goal hanging which resulted perversely in a more defensive game as teams left players back to cover.

Maybe they could introduce an assistant referee who runs up and down the touchline with a flag in their hand and can keep an eye on the defensive line, then when they can see it is offside they raise the flag in the air which helps the referee out...oh wait!

 

[Ewes]

Exactly. But I think those people are often armchair/TV fans or the dreaded TV pundits. Those of us who go to live games will often think a ref/lino has got something wrong and will (of course) berate them for it. But we have all seen enough games to put it out of our minds (at least for the moment!) and carry on watching and supporting our team. Football was never meant to be 'perfect'. Officials make errors, players cock things up, managers pick the wrong team and supporters will get at a ref for getting something wrong when it turns out they got it right!

On the telly, football is killed by VAR and over-analysis.

Yep, totally agree.

I’m a grassroots referee and don’t have the benefit of VAR replays or even time to make my decisions. Generally this is accepted by all players (yes they might moan about a perverse decision at the time but accept we do our best as referees, making quick, accurate and honest decisions whenever we can and they quickly forget about any wrong decisions).

On average I probably make 1-3 wrong decisions per game, things like throw-ins or goal kicks awarded instead of a corner. Very occasionally I stop a goal-scoring opportunity for what I felt was offside or handball, and have been known to give an occasional soft penalty. But given that I probably make about 200 decisions per game this is a good average, and mirrors the number of mistakes the average player at my level makes in a game. It’s called being human.

I officiate early rounds of the FA Cup where I live. My decisions and performance without VAR, referee assessors etc are accepted without too much fuss, so it’s unfair the latter stages of the cup face so much analysis.

The fun and enjoyment of football is talking about dubious decisions and a referee’s performance in the pub after a game. Football at the top levels is being stifled by too many interventions and poor respect shown by players and managers. I wouldn’t go to watch Arsenal, England etc even if you paid for my ticket, but I’d happily shell out to watch Oxford City, Torquay Utd etc where things are more honest and entertaining. Oh yes - 3pm Saturday and 7.45pm Tuesday is the time for football, nothing else.

Roll on the day when Sky lose their contract and the game settles down to being played by honest players not earning more in a nano-second than I do in a month, and when players, managers and supporters can talk about a match in the bar afterwards.

 

[Ewes]

It will never happen, but I'd like the game to revert to an old fashioned offside rule where to be offside the striker needs to be beyond the last defender with a visible gap.

The problem for refs of course is the need to look at two things at once - the defensive line and the player on the ball making the forward pass. But an offside law is necessary as proved by the early years of the game when teams left a forward goal hanging which resulted perversely in a more defensive game as teams left players back to cover.

I’d make it simpler than that. I’d paint a line halfway between the penalty area and halfway line. In the same way that an attacker can’t be offside if in their own half when the ball is played, I’d use this line as a guide. In an offside position past this line = offside. In an offside position behind the line = onside.

 

[90syeIlow]

Exactly. But I think those people are often armchair/TV fans or the dreaded TV pundits. Those of us who go to live games will often think a ref/lino has got something wrong and will (of course) berate them for it. But we have all seen enough games to put it out of our minds (at least for the moment!) and carry on watching and supporting our team. Football was never meant to be 'perfect'. Officials make errors, players cock things up, managers pick the wrong team and supporters will get at a ref for getting something wrong when it turns out they got it right!

On the telly, football is killed by VAR and over-analysis.

VAR also kills the game when you're at the stadium. It has to go.

 

[chuckbert]

partly, I also think there is the influence of gambling. On a global stage there is a massive amount of money riding on football, somewhere around £75billion a year. With some of the money riding on big games, the industry doesn't want a distracted lino costing them hundreds of millions.

It would be nice if they went and gambled on something else in that case.