Football referees will receive new guidelines: what will change for players.

Referees may tighten control over the time spent on throw-ins and corners

According to The Sun: New rules may appear in football competitions that will require referees to more strictly monitor the time spent on throw-ins and corner kicks. This is done to speed up the game.

According to SunSport, insiders from the English Premier League noted that long throw-ins have become a common attacking strategy, which has led to a decrease in 'ball in play' time this season.

The number of long throw-ins in the first part of the season has more than doubled, and the Brentford team has become a striking example of this tactic.

According to Stats Perform, in 40 Premier League matches, the ball was in play for an average of only 54 minutes and 21 seconds, which is 133 seconds less than last season.

One reason for this is that more long throw-ins encourage teams to send central defenders into the opponent's penalty area.

There has also been a recorded increase in both attacking and defending teams' preparation for corners, as many teams have specialized coaching groups for working with set pieces.

There are concerns that delays in resuming play may become part of teams' tactics, so lawmakers Ifab are considering the implementation of a new version of the 'eight-second countdown' for goalkeepers in case play resumes when the ball leaves the field.

Martin Dubravka from Burnley has already received a penalty in the form of a corner for delay in the match against Spurs, but discussions are underway to apply similar measures for throw-ins and corners as well.

It is noted that the introduction of official time limits on the resumption of play could speed up the game process and increase the time during which the ball is on the field during the match.

Any changes must be agreed upon by Ifab, which has scheduled its next general meeting in Wales in February.

However, senior Ifab officials usually first conduct tests of significant changes to the rules before adopting their global implementation.

Therefore, the introduction of new rules in matches may take some time.

The situation with time in games in major leagues remains in the spotlight, as the speed and dynamics of football matches have always intrigued fans and experts. If the innovations are confirmed, this could significantly change the tactical component of the game at the highest level.