Almiron’s expulsion for holding his hand in front of his mouth will go down in history. But the other innovations are also resulting in smoother races with fewer interruptions
Messi will perhaps go down in history for the second consecutive World Cup at the age of forty, Almiron is certainly already in history as a negative symbol of the new rules. Miguel Almiron, Paraguayan, midfielder. In the first match against the USA he was booked at the VAR thanks to the new protocol which allows the decision to be changed in the event of “mistaken identity” between those who commit a foul: the American Ream had received a yellow card but, after reviewing the video, Makkelie understood that Almiron’s foul was a simulation. Two, yesterday, against Turkey. The images catch Almiron speaking with his hand in front of his mouth with a Turk, in a heated phase of the match. The new rule comes into force. Presumption of offense, we would say. Immediate red. Beyond the personal events of the Paraguayan, with little memory and a bit unlucky, this is the World Cup that will be remembered (also) for the new Ifab rules. And the good thing is that they wanted us.
referral or corner
—
The players were really exaggerating with simulations, wastes of time, clever tricks. “We want fewer interruptions and a continuous flow of play,” said Pierluigi Collina, head of referees, explaining the changes. The time had come and there was no better platform than the World Cup to make the new rules universal. Like the goal kick delayed for more than five seconds. The Haiti goalkeeper thought he was still in May, before the substitution, and at the start of the match he took all the time he wanted for the goal kick. The referee immediately ordered the corner for Brazil, the goalkeeper protested but he should have done so against his stupidity. It was the third case in the tournament. More frequent, as was normal, was the reversal of the throw-in for having exceeded the famous five seconds. Sooner or later they will learn.
changes from f1
—
Two other innovations have a greater impact on the game: the ten seconds for substitutions and injuries. The substitutions had become a tactical weapon, including handshakes, hugs, waste of time, walks. Yesterday Paraguay was with ten men against Turkey, but the coach shouted to his team to hurry up the substitution because he feared being left with nine men for more than a minute: in case of failure to respect the limits, in fact, the substitute must remain out until the first stop of the game after a minute from the substitution. Which is to say, it might even be unusable for two minutes or more. F1 gearboxes like the tyres.
no one collapses
—
Ditto the injuries, a scourge not for the players’ legs but for the rhythm and the spectacle: every touch, a disastrous fall with screams and shouts, and at least a minute to start again. Now, if the doctors come in, and the foul has not been penalized with a card, you stay out for six seconds. Suddenly no one falls to the ground. Have you ever seen games so fast and flows that never stop? The prayer is that the same happens in Serie A: it would be a revolution.
that cold little hand
—
Returning to Almiron’s misadventures. The new rule was born after the Vinicius-Prestianni case and the alleged racist insult from the Benfica player to the Madrid player. With your hand over your mouth it is easy to hide the evidence, so the presumption of guilt was born. The hand hides something, if you do this during an argument or a hot phase with an opponent there is red. Of course, you can use your hand with a partner, but also with a rival if the atmosphere is relaxed and you simply don’t want to make private conversations public.
timeout for ct
—
Last but not least are the timeouts. A true revolution. Here in the heat they are useful for resting the players even if, in fact, they fatten the TV budgets with 6 minutes of extra advertising for each match. But yesterday Ancelotti also seemed favorable: “In fact they help us technicians to fix some situations.” The data is interesting: in the first half, after the break, shots and goals increase. From “hydration breaks” to timeouts like basketball or volleyball, we’ll see if anyone decides to follow its legacy, as it has been understood that the heat has something to do with it up to a certain point. Then in the final they will exaggerate with the half-hour show between the first and second half, like the Super Bowl. And perhaps we could have avoided this. But this Americanism has nothing to do with the new rules. The new rules work and are useful.
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED