Man City Antics Could Be Quashed By Radical New Rule Change

Football’s lawmakers are reportedly discussing extremist solutions to combat time-wasting which takes nan shape of goalkeepers feigning injury, pinch nan imaginable of an outfield subordinate being forced disconnected 1 specified possibility.

This ploy has been utilized by an ever-growing raft of teams since it was made mandatory for immoderate outfield subordinate receiving aesculapian curen to past time off nan section for 30 seconds. Goalkeepers are exempt from this measure, allowing these gloved figures to break up matches by dropping to nan turf to require treatment, creating “tactical timeouts” to springiness managers nan chance to impart instructions to their outfielders without immoderate penalty.

Manchester City were accused of pulling disconnected this instrumentality complete nan weekend. Gianluigi Donnarumma received curen successful nan 2nd half of Saturday’s conflict pinch Leeds United, giving Pep Guardiola an opening to talk to his squad aft they were near reeling by a beardown burst of shape from nan visitors.

Guardiola denied immoderate skullduggery and moreover if Donnarumma was hamming it up, he would hardly beryllium nan first. This measurement is truthful wide nan game’s lawmakers discussed ways to combat time-wasting by these intends “at length” backmost successful October, BBC Sport stated.

IFAB, nan International Football Association Board, and nan Technical Advisory Panels (TAP) supposedly showed support for nan connection of having an outfield subordinate walk 30 seconds connected nan sidelines if that team’s goalkeeper requires treatment. The sidelined individual would theoretically beryllium nominated by their manager, creating each sorts of issues.

An replacement proposal was nan banning of players from going crossed to nan touchline during these stoppages.

IFAB will apt bring this matter—and different proposed norm changes—up for further statement astatine their yearly business gathering connected Jan. 20, 2026.

Daniel Farke (left) had words pinch Gianluigi Donnarumma. / Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

Leeds leader Daniel Farke brought this thorny rumor into nan spotlight aft watching his side’s momentum against Manchester City get punctured by Donnarumma going down disconnected nan ball. “Everyone knows why he went down, right? It’s not for illustration nan elephant successful nan room,” nan German leader seethed.

“It’s much for illustration you tin speak astir it. You tin inquire maine what I deliberation astir why he went down. It was obvious.”

Farke accepted that Donnarumma and City weren’t violating immoderate regulations, though he did mobility if that should ever beryllium nan case. “It’s wrong nan rules. It’s smart. If I for illustration it, if it’s successful nan consciousness of adjacent play, if it should beryllium for illustration this, I support it to myself,” he fumed.

“I time off it pinch nan authorities to find solutions for it. It’s wrong nan rules. I asked nan 4th charismatic astatine this point, ‘Do you want to do something?’ He said, ‘No, our hands are tied. We can’t do anything.’

“We cognize this happens, but if we don’t amended our players successful football, what to do successful position of adjacent play, sportsmanship and you conscionable effort to crook nan rules to your advantage, you tin moreover do a clone wounded successful bid to do an further squad talk, it’s thing I personally like.

“If it’s wrong nan rules, I can’t kick astir it. We should deliberation astir really we tin woody pinch it, and besides really we amended it.”

It whitethorn not beryllium successful nan rules for overmuch longer.

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