The IFAB “definitely” validates the rule of five changes per team

The principle that each team has the possibility of making five changes during a match, instead of three, was “definitively validated” by the International Board (IFAB), the guarantor of football rules, this Monday in Doha.

The five changes had been introduced due to the covid-19 pandemic, when the calendars were redesigned, given the high number of games to be played after the first confinements.

The evaluation of the semi-automatic detection of offside, which FIFA plans to use in the Qatar 2022 World Cup (November 21-December 18) “continues” and “so far it is very satisfactory,” said the president of FIFA, Gianni Infantino , at the conclusion of the IFAB’s 136th Annual General Assembly.

“Our experts are going to analyze that before deciding whether or not to use it in the World Cup”added Infantino, while Pierluigi Collina, president of the FIFA Referees Committee, said he was “confident” about its use in the tournament.

This optical tracking system in support of video arbitration (VAR) was tested in the Arab Cup at the end of 2021 and then in the Club World Cup, at the beginning of 2022.

It must allow the decision making to be accelerated. It is supported by cameras that are used for television broadcasting as well as specific cameras that give the exact position of the players on the field of play, which provides the referees with precise and rapid information.

Once the decision is made, this artificial intelligence-based technology transforms the images into a 3D animation that can be shown on the video scoreboards in the stadiums.