Ligue 1 regains its rights on Friday, with a tantalizing Monaco-Lyon opening. Starting this weekend, players will have to quickly grasp the changes that are going on in the arbitration, whether on set-pieces, hand-offs or substitutions. We explain the main changes introduced in March by the International Board (Ifab), guarantor of the rules of the game in football, which come into effect at the kickoff of this season 2019-20 Ligue 1.
Hands differently whistled
The referee will now whistle any hand foul of a player who will score or create a goal opportunity, even if it is not voluntary. He will also sanction a free kick (or penalty) for a player who touches the ball of the arm or hand after having "artificially" increased the surface of his body, or when contact is made over his shoulders. .
However, the game will continue if the ball touches the arm or the hand of a player just after it has touched by another part of the body (head, body, foot). Same thing if the ball has just been touched by a teammate or a nearby opponent. Finally, a player who puts his arms forward to cushion a fall is not punished if he touches the ball.
"Walls" more favorable to defense
The attacking team no longer has the right to interfere with the defensive wall erected by their opponent on a free kick. In fact, the attackers must be at least one meter away from the wall. In the opposite case, the referee will grant the defense an indirect free kick. The disruption caused by the attackers went against the "spirit of the game", according to IFAB, which also points the incessant reminders to the order of the referees in this type of situation.
More severe yellow cards
On the bench, a member of the technical staff (assistant coach, doctor, etc.) may be punished with a yellow or red card in case of bad behavior. If the culprit is not identified, the warning will be sent to the head coach. A player scores, gets a yellow card for having celebrated by removing his shirt, but the goal is invalidated? The cardboard is now maintained. Ifab indeed believes that the "impact" of the gesture, in terms of "security and image", is the same whatever happens, but validated or not.
More flexibility for the goalkeeper during the penalty kick, but ...
The obligation of the goalkeeper to have both feet on the goal line, when an opponent takes a penalty kick, disappears. He must have only one foot on the line (or at the height of it if he jumps in the air). Guards who hit the posts, the crossbar or make the nets tremble to intimidate an attacker will also have to change their habits. In any case, the referee will not allow the shooter to try his luck until the amounts or the nets move ...
Accelerated replacements
The traditional transfer between a holder and his replacement, in the middle of the field under the eyes of the assistant referee, will no longer be the norm. Indeed, a player who must give up his place will now leave the field by the shortest route, unless the referee tells him otherwise (for a security question, for example). The Ifab intends to put an end to the substitutions that drag on, especially from teams leading to the score and wanting to save some time.
It moves on the side of the set pieces
Several changes have also been made to the set pieces (CPA). For example, a goalkeeper or defender shooting a "six-meter" may pass the ball to a partner who is inside his own area. Opponents must be outside.
When a referee prepares to deliver a card to a player, the team in front can take the free kick quickly to afford a goal opportunity (unless the team at fault is in discussion with the referee). The warning will be distributed at the next stoppage of play.
Another change: the practice of "balls on the ground", so far used after the stoppage of the game by an arbitrator, will disappear in favor of kicks stopped. The ball will now return to the goalkeeper if the ball is in its area at the whistle or, if it is outside, to the team that was in possession.