Tue, July 28, 2026
Trial introduced to prevent goalkeeper tactical timeouts
With permission from the International Football Association Board (IFAB), the Football Association, Premier League, English Football League, National League and Women’s Super League have agreed that a team must remove an outfield player while its goalkeeper receives treatment. That player must remain off the pitch for one minute after play restarts, as part of a trial to prevent goalkeeper tactical timeouts, where players engage in a team talk or disrupt an opponent’s momentum.
If a goalkeeper requires treatment from a physio, that team’s coach will be given 10 seconds to select another player to leave the pitch for a minute after the game resumes. If a decision is not made within 10 seconds, the team’s captain will be made to leave.
This will first be trialled at the Carabao Cup preliminary round tie between Tranmere and Rochdale this Saturday. BBC Sport has reported that the Australian A-League will be trialling something similar, but the captain will always be made to leave instead.
Players will still be able to visit the touchline as an injury is treated, but playing with one less player, even for just a minute, may act as a deterrent, according to the organisations involved. Former English footballer, Danny Murphy, voiced: “It's a little change that makes a world of difference.”
Some critics have raised concerns that the rule may encourage players to ignore injuries, which is one of the reasons it will be trialled before possible permanent implementation from the 2027-28 season.
An outfield player will not be removed if:
- a goalkeeper says they do not need the physio, and they have not caused play to stop
- the goalkeeper and an outfield player have collided
- a goalkeeper is fouled and needs immediate treatment
- a goalkeeper is bleeding
- there is a serious injury (has to be substituted) or concussion.
If the goalkeeper is substituted, the substitution is not delayed, and the replacement goalkeeper comes on immediately.
Regarding other regulations, IFAB has also clarified the “mistaken identity” rule, stating that VAR can only be used to “identify the player who committed the offence that was penalised, not to review or alter the offence.”
Elsewhere, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has voiced that in a recent meeting with chief refereeing officers from all 55 European national football associations, it was agreed that “VAR must only intervene in situations of 'clear and obvious' error, ie. when a referee decision is blatantly incorrect or when the referee has missed a clear incident,” as “lengthy, microscoping reviews are often a symptom revealing that the decision on the field was not clearly and obviously incorrect, and should therefore be limited.”
