A new set of laws will come into play during the World Cup in a host of changes that have been widely welcomed by supporters.
Fifa has introduced 11 measures specifically for the tournament in an effort to protect players and speed up the game in several ways.
Two of these ways are that subbed players “must leave the pitch at the nearest point of exit, and within 10 seconds” and the five second rule on aspects like free kicks and throw-ins which reduces time wasting.
“I think this is an unbelievable introduction – time-limited substitutions. I love that. It’s so annoying watching players walk off slowly. The players and teams are gaming the system.
“You can criticise FIFA for many things but I do think they get their referee stuff right. I think those are pretty good introductions and will make the game better for the fans.”
On the introduction of the five-second restart: “The amount of time that is taken in the Premier League… I’ve lost count of how many times we mentioned that last season. So I like that one.
“What we’ve witnessed over the past 12 months is teams stopping the game for a minute to prepare for set-pieces. “I’m talking about League Two games as well as the Premier League, the ball is out of play for so long. I think it’s a good introduction.”
Before the tournament started, Japan scored a second-half winner when Iceland were down to ten men as a substitute was forced to wait to come on in what is the first incident of the rules being implemented.
These changes come from Fifa referees’ chief Pierluigi Collina who is trying to improve the game ahead of the tournament as he tries to speed up action on the pitch. The alterations have been welcomed by fans as they wait to see the rules in full force this summer.