New Time-Wasting Rules

GM football fans. It’s Wednesday, Feb. 25 - The new incoming rules expected to be implemented this week by football’s lawmakers, the latest Premier League projections, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.

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Editor's note: Some readers noticed a couple of small errors in yesterday's issue, which was due to a scheduling error. We try to avoid errors at all costs, no matter how small. If nothing else, it's a good reminder that R1 is written by real humans!

UEFA Champions League knock-out play-offs (Feb 25): Real Madrid vs. Benfica, Agg 1-0, 20:00 GMT / 15:00 ET. Real have progressed from 22 of their last 23 Champions League knock-out ties when they have won the first leg. Benfica, who will be without manager Jose Mourinho on the sidelines, have progressed through just one of their eight previous knock-out ties in major European competition when losing the first leg at home. Paris Saint-Germain vs. Monaco, Agg 3-2, 20:00 GMT / 15:00 ET. A win for PSG would make it seven wins in their last eight two-legged Champions League ties. They are also unbeaten in eight of their last nine at home, having won their last two at the Parc des Princes by an aggregate score of 8-0. Juventus vs. Galatasaray, Agg 2-5, 20:00 GMT / 15:00 ET. Galatasaray have progressed from all 11 of their knockout ties in European competition when winning the first leg by at least three goals. Meanwhile, Juventus have only ever won one of their seven meetings with Galatasaray in the Champions League, which came in 2003.

Results…

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IFAB, football’s law-making body, is holding its annual general meeting in Wales on Saturday, where several law changes are expected to be approved. The changes would formally enter the Laws of the Game on July 1, but competitions that start earlier, including the men’s World Cup, can adopt them in advance, so they are likely to be used at the tournament.

Many of the new law changes focus on time-wasting. Referees will be able to start a visible five-second countdown for throw-ins and goal kicks, and if the countdown expires, possession will be awarded to the opposition for a throw-in, while a delayed goal kick will result in a corner. A 10-second limit on completing substitutions is also being considered, with teams who exceed this limit being barred from bringing on that substitute and therefore being down a player for at least one minute. As reported in Tuesday’s edition, a standard one-minute off-field period for players whose injury stops play is set to be introduced across all competitions.

The World Cup is also expected to be the first tournament to use expanded VAR protocols, including checks on wrongly awarded corners, reviews of second-yellow cards that are clearly incorrect, and corrections of cases where a card is shown to the wrong team or player.

Changes to the offside law, based on Arsene Wenger’s “daylight” proposal, are not expected to be implemented yet as trials continue.

Manchester City’s chances of winning the Premier League have risen to 15%, according to Opta’s prediction model. Pep Guardiola’s side, who are now five points behind Arsenal with a game in hand, were given just 8% at the end of January despite trailing the leaders by the same margin. Arsenal’s title probability stands at 83%, down from 98% two matchweeks ago.

With the Premier League on course to receive five Champions League places based on Uefa’s coefficient rankings, Aston Villa (85%), Liverpool (47%), and Manchester United (44%) are projected to join the other two sides in qualifying via the league. Chelsea are the only other realistic contender, with a 20.6% chance.

In the relegation battle, Wolves are given a 100% probability of going down after taking just 10 points from 28 matches. Burnley (97.7%), West Ham (70.8%), and Nottingham Forest (23.2%) are also projected to be relegated. Tottenham Hotspur, who are two points above 17th-placed Forest, have a 4.8% chance of relegation.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino said they have received over one million ticket requests per game for 77 of the 104 matches during the 2026 World Cup. These claims, which cannot be independently verified, imply that every match at the tournament will be sold out.

Fifa insists requests were validated using unique credit-card data, pushing back on suggestions that bots inflated demand. However, Infantino cited a total global TV audience of 6 billion for the tournament, which was not explained and exceeds typical unique-viewer logic.

In related news, Infantino’s predecessor Sepp Blatter criticised the 2026 World Cup format, opposing both the 48-team expansion and the unequal distribution of matches across the three host nations. Blatter, 89, said the disparity is “not in the spirit of developing football” and accused the relationship (paywall) between U.S. President Donald Trump and Infantino of “turning football into politics”.

> Paris Saint-Germain defender Achraf Hakimi says he is set to face trial after an allegation of rape was made against him (More)

> England’s home Women’s World Cup qualifier against Ukraine in June will be played at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium (More)

> Tottenham’s owners are planning to rip up the club’s wage structure before a major overhaul of the squad this summer if the team avoid relegation (More)

> Championship's Middlesbrough, who are in second place, have dropped points following a 1-1 draw with Leicester City (More); see the Championship table (More)

> Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum said there are "all the guarantees" for the 2026 Fifa World Cup to be held in the country despite the recent violence near a host city (More)

> Argentine football teams have requested a pause in matches to protest a criminal investigation against the leaders of the Argentine FA (More)

> MLS’s Orlando City are in advanced talks with Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann for their designated player spot (More)

> Conmebol Libertadores fixtures to conclude shortly after publication; see all live results (More)

> An alumni group representing former Australian women’s players says Football Australia is trying to silence them by instituting a membership program that limits criticism of the sport’s governing body (More)

Yesterday’s Poll: Do you support a one-minute sideline for injured players to reduce time-wasting?

🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 👍 Yes (78%)

🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 🙅‍♂️ Nope (20%)

🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other (2%)

Your punditry takes:

The Champions League’s greatest-ever knock-out shocks.

… and when is the last 16 draw and how does it work?

BBC’s Premier League team of the week.

Carragher & Van Der Sar debate goalkeeper of the season.

The story of why Snoop Dogg invested in Swansea City.

ESPN to launch NWSL three-part docu-series.

Milner presented with three Guinness World Records.

Three of the Bundesliga’s falling giants. (re-linked from yesterday)

Question: Can you name the last four Englishmen to score a Champions League hat-trick?

Clue: Qarabag in 2026. Celtic in 2025. Dinamo Zagreb in 2024. RB Leipzig in 2020.

Scroll below for the answer.

Daily Wordle: Guess the football-related word, from player names to classic phrases, in six tries or fewer. Play it here.

Answer

Anthony Gordon. Morgan Rogers. Harry Kane. Marcus Rashford.