New football Laws must consider every FIFA country

When the International FA Board, look at the Laws of the Game to decide what needs changing, as they will be doing in the new year, they have to consider all countries affiliated to FIFA.

This does not just mean translating into many languages, where words may have different meaning but also different cultures.

For example, since the alterations in 2016, certain action by club officials can be penalised by a direct free kick.

If say, a physio had been treating a defending player in the penalty area and then, after the game had restarted, came back onto the field of play and played the ball, the opponents would be awarded a penalty.

I have never seen a physio take such an action and doubt whether anyone has in this country, yet there is no shortage of videos of this happening in South American football.

I mention this because one of this season’s changes to the Laws may have you saying ‘why is that being done?’

This change is about the taking of throw-ins and I would like to show you the law as it was written.

‘At the moment of delivering the ball, the thrower must face the field of play’.

Now the change: ‘At the moment of delivering the ball, the thrower must stand facing the field of play’.

The sharp eyed amongst you will have noticed that the word ‘stand’ has been inserted into the law.

This means that players may no longer throw the ball in, whilst kneeling or sitting down.

Again your reaction may be ‘I’ve never seen anyone trying to throw the ball in whilst sitting or kneeling’.

However the international FA Board showed a photo alongside the change, of a player kneeling on one knee throwing in the ball, so it obviously does happen.

Another question that might be asked is, does it matter? What benefit does a player gain by throwing in from a kneeling or sitting position?

It’s hardly likely to equal Joe Gomez’s throw that helped England to beat Croatia.