Judging new rule changes ahead of World Cup: Is more VAR a good thing?

The International Football Association Board, which sets the laws of football, has agreed to make some big changes starting July 1, but those changes will also be adopted at this summer’s 2026 World Cup, which kicks off June 11.Using the VAR to check corners will be an option, while the core VAR protocol has now been widened to cover second yellow cards and cards awarded to the wrong team. And the IFAB also approved a package of measures to counter tactics designed to disrupt the tempo of matches — though the physical issues we’ve seen this season from corners was not deemed to be serious enough to address.But will these new rules help or hinder the game? We take a look. Andy Davies (@andydaviesref) is a former Select Group referee, with over 12 seasons on the elite list, working across the Premier League and Championship. With extensive experience at the elite level, he has operated within the VAR space in the Premier League and offers a unique insight into the processes, rationale and protocols that are delivered on a Premier League matchday. Rule: If the referee considers that a throw-in or goal kick is taking too long or being deliberately delayed, a five-second visual countdown will be initiated. If the ball is not in play at the end of the countdown, the throw-in will be awarded to the opposing team, while a delayed goal kick will result in a corner kick being awarded to the opponents.As a referee, the only real impactful tool you have to manage these situations is to give out a yellow card, following a process of warnings, for time wasting. But that is an option that officials are reluctant to commit to early in a game, certainly for a technical offense.However, this new measure will empower referees to regain control and put the responsibility back on to the players to speed things up. The threat of the opposition gaining possession from a reversed throw-in or a corner is a game changer in the fight against deliberate delaying tactics.Rule: To further streamline match flow, substituted players must leave the field of play within 10 seconds of the substitution board being displayed or, where there is no substitution board, of the referee’s signal. Should the player fail to leave within this time, they must still exit the field, but the substitute will not be permitted to enter until the first stoppage after one minute (running clock) has elapsed following the restart.