Latest news with #rulechanges
The Sun
23-05-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
Premier League will see more rule changes next season – when will this ever end? I have NO idea what football rules are
CLAUDIO RANIERI earned the nickname 'Tinkerman' during his spell at Chelsea as he was forever changing his player line-ups but that meddling moniker should surely now be passed on to football's governing bodies. Next season there will be more new rule changes. When will this ever end and are you, like me, baffled and bamboozled in equal measure as to what the actual rules of football are? 2 2 From next season goalkeepers will be penalised for holding on to the ball for more than eight seconds, with the punishment a corner to the attacking team. Referees are supposed to indicate when a keeper has held the ball for three seconds, giving him five more seconds to release it. Apparently, this new rule has been tried and tested and will be in place for next season. So what was wrong with the old rule which gave keepers six seconds to release, with punishment in the form of an indirect free-kick? Beats me. It was hardly ever enforced anyway. The body which has come up with this latest daft tinkering, I meant well-researched brainstorm, the International Football Association Board, must have spent ages on it. Probably in a well-stocked five-star hotel somewhere near Fifa's Swiss Alps headquarters. The purpose of this newest change is to cut down on time-wasting but how can extending possession from six to eight seconds do that? And also the fact that the 'old' rule was almost never imposed surely means it was a good rule. A bit like competent refereeing, if you don't know they are there, chances are the official is doing a decent job. Every year we are told greedy water companies will clean up their act and every season football makes changes which confuses the hell out of fans. Dirtying the waters, so to speak. We have had 'golden' goals, 'silver' goals, the advance ten-metre rule, you name it. If anyone can successfully tell me what the current rules around handball are, please let me know. As for VAR, well let's just say the jury is still out on that one. We have been told the introduction of Semi-Automated Offside Technology will solve the ridiculous amount of time it has taken Stockley Park assessors to actually reach a decision. Well, that wasn't true last weekend at the West Ham v Forest game, as that quick check we were promised turned into an excruciating six-minute delay as the offside technology was not working. And don't get me started on the financial fair play rules. Professor Brian Cox might be able to name all the stars in the sky but even he would struggle with that. I'm the first to admit that some changes have been of great benefit. In 1992, the introduction of the backpass rule where keepers cannot handle the ball when it has been deliberately kicked to them by a team-mate is one. When will this ever end and are you, like me, baffled and bamboozled in equal measure as to what the actual rules of football are? Karren Brady Goal-line technology came in 2012 following the uproar over the Frank Lampard World Cup 'goal-that-never-was'. That was another. But in recent seasons the dribble of rule changes has become a downpour. From allowing the kick-off to be taken in any direction, to teams now requiring a mandatory captain, complete with armband, to additional subs if a player has received a concussion injury. Have any of these actually improved fans' enjoyment? Just leave the game alone please. The International Football Association Board should adhere to the wise man, more likely wise woman, who said, if it isn't broke, don't fix it. Or to put it another way, stop bloody tinkering. I'm just waiting for the first referee next season who awards a corner after a keeper has transgressed this newest rule change. Cue hundreds of examples by irate fans where the 'offence' was not spotted. Football. They say it used to be a simple game which involved two jumpers and a ball. Not any longer.
BreakingNews.ie
11-05-2025
- Sport
- BreakingNews.ie
David Clifford relishing freedom as new rules create space for forwards
Kerry star David Clifford says he is enjoying the new dynamics introduced by recent rule changes, particularly the shift back to one-on-one duels and more space for forwards to operate. With blanket defences less prominent and teams no longer able to put 15 men behind the ball, forwards like Clifford have been quick to capitalise. The Fossa man scored 2-5 in Kerry's Munster final win over Clare last Sunday, helping the Kingdom to a fifth consecutive provincial title. Advertisement Having returned mid-way through the league, Clifford admitted it took time to adapt. "I came back in the middle of the league, so it was hard to get used to some of the rules," he said. "Once you get your head around them, it is very positive — both when you're playing in the games and even watching as a neutral." He believes the rule changes have brought back the traditional corner-forward battle. "As a corner forward, it's come back a bit more to the one-v-one duels, which is enjoyable. You go into a game marking the top full-back or corner-back — you're going to lose some balls and they're going to kick a score. Advertisement "The next play, you might win the ball. That dual element is very enjoyable. "I think you're seeing across the country now that some of the top corner-forwards are back playing well, getting scores and being more involved. The corner-forward taking on his man and scoring — I think that's one of the most enjoyable parts of the game to watch." With a Division One title and Munster silverware already secured this year, the focus inevitably turns to the All-Ireland — the one remaining prize in 2024 for Jack O'Connor's side. Clifford, who made his senior debut in 2018, lifted Sam Maguire in 2022 but has also suffered heartbreak, losing All-Ireland finals in 2019 and 2023 and falling to Armagh in last year's semi-final after extra-time. Advertisement "Any year you are unsuccessful is very disappointing, particularly in extra-time to Armagh," he said. "For them to go on and win it shows how close we were. "That's the general rule: if you don't win it, the next season you're trying to right those wrongs. "But you can't go through the whole season just thinking about the All-Ireland either, because you're wishing your life away in one sense. "It's something that drives you on more than it is pressure. It gives you massive motivation — but it's not something taking up your thoughts on a daily basis, because then your life is not going to be that enjoyable." Advertisement Last month, Kerry edged past Cork in extra-time in the Munster semi-final — a game Clifford said they would likely have lost in previous years. The 26-year-old believes that result, and the lessons from last season's defeat to Armagh, could prove crucial heading into the group stages. With Roscommon, Cork, and either Louth or Meath awaiting them, Clifford is anticipating more fine margins. "The margins are so small. You take Joe's goal — if that hits the crossbar and comes out, then we don't win the game. Advertisement "All you're trying to do really is put yourself into those situations as much as possible. Whether that's in training or league games, you're trying to get used to those stressful moments, so that when it happens in a big game, it's not the first time you've been there." Reflecting on last year's journey, Clifford added: "Against Armagh, we went through the group stage winning handy enough. Even the quarter-final against Derry — while it was tight, we weren't behind for long. "All of a sudden, you're trailing in a big game and you haven't really experienced that. It's just about putting yourselves in those situations and learning from them."
