Chicago, US, Dec 15 (EFE).- The United States’ professional football league, Major League Soccer, has approved a new rule that will require a player to leave the field in 10 seconds when substituted.
The new rule was approved by the MLS Board of Governors on Thursday and will come into effect in the 2024 season, along with some other changes that will affect various aspects of the game.
“Failure to exit from any point on the field within the 10 seconds will cause the incoming player to wait for a 60-second holding period before entering the game at the next stoppage,” the MLS said in a statement.
“During the holding period and prior to the substitute entering, the team will play down a player. Exceptions to the rule include injury and goalkeeper substitutions,” it added.
The rule was successfully tested in the last MLS NEXT Pro season, when 99.7 percent of the more than 3,200 substitutions were completed in 10 seconds or less.
Another notable change has to do with the time clock, which will operate until the end of each half and will include the minutes and seconds of added time.
Usually, stadium stopwatches stop at the 45th and 90th minutes, and footballers and fans cannot see how much time is left until the match actually ends.
Pending approval from the International Football Association Board (IFAB), the MLS plans to have the stadium public address systems announce the VAR decisions.
The MLS continues to invest resources in caring for the health of footballers and will include, starting in 2024, the so-called Off-Field Treatment Rule, which «allows medical professionals with time to assess and treat players off the field of play in a less pressurized environment.”
“If a player with a suspected injury remains on the ground for more than 15 seconds, the referee will stop play and wave the medical crew onto the field to evaluate the player. When safe, the player will be removed from the field and remain off the field for a minimum of two minutes for further assessment and treatment,” MLS said. EFE
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