Football’s rule-makers (Ifab) are actively discussing a significant law change to stop teams from exploiting goalkeeper injuries to gain an unscheduled “tactical timeout.”
The debate follows a high-profile incident where Leeds manager Daniel Farke accused Manchester City’s Gianluigi Donnarumma of feigning injury during their match to allow Pep Guardiola to issue instructions while Leeds were pressuring.
Current rules force injured outfield players to leave the pitch for 30 seconds after treatment, but goalkeepers are exempt, a loophole teams are now exploiting to stop the momentum of the game.
The most supported idea, which will be debated further by Ifab on 20 January, is to force a team to temporarily remove an outfield player if their goalkeeper receives on-pitch treatment, making the rule consistent across all positions.
Pundit Danny Murphy endorsed the change, calling it a small but necessary step to ensure fair play.
