Law 1 – The Field of Play
• Goalposts and the crossbar may be a combination of the four basic shapes
Law 10 – Determining the Outcome of a Match
• Yellow cards (YCs) and warnings are not carried forward into kicks from the penalty mark (KFPM)
• See also changes to Law 14 relating to KFPM
Law 11 – Offside
• Deliberate handball by a defending player is considered ‘deliberate play’ for offside
Law 12 – Fouls and Misconduct
Handball:
• the boundary between the shoulder and the arm is defined as the bottom of the armpit (see diagram)
• ‘accidental’ handball by an attacking player (or team-mate) is only penalized if it occurs ‘immediately’ before a goal or clear goal-scoring opportunity
• A goalkeeper can receive a YC or be sent off (RC) for ‘illegally’ touching the ball a second time after a restart (e.g. goal kick, free kick etc.) even if the touch is with the hand/arm
• Any offence (not only a foul) which ‘interferes with or stops a promising attack’ should result in a YC
• A player who fails to respect the 4 m required distance at a dropped ball should receive a YC
• If the referee plays advantage or allows a ‘quick’ free kick for an offence which ‘interfered with or stopped a promising attack’, the YC is not issued
Law 14 – The Penalty Kick
• An offence by the goalkeeper is not penalized if a penalty kick misses the goal or rebounds from the goal (without a touch from the goalkeeper) unless the offence clearly affected the kicker
• The goalkeeper is warned for the first offence; it is a YC for any further offence(s)
• The kicker is penalized if the goalkeeper and the kicker offend at exactly the same time
VAR protocol
• The VAR is permitted to give advice to the referee about the decision but the referee always makes the final decision
• Where a reviewable incident is subjective, the expectation is that the referee will undertake an ‘on-field review’ (OFR), i.e. the referee will view the replay footage in the referee review area
• Only one ‘TV signal’ is required for a VAR-only review
Practical Guidelines for Match Officials
• If the goalkeeper blatantly moves off the goal line before the ball is kicked and prevents a goal from being scored, the AR should indicate the encroachment according to the pre-match instructions from the referee.
All changes are compulsory for competitions and matches as from 1 June 2020, although competitions which start before that date may implement them earlier or delay their implementation until no later than the start of the next competition. Competitions which have been suspended because of COVID-19 have the option of completing the competition using the Laws of the Game 2019/20 or adopting the Laws of the Game 2020/21.
Source: IFAB
