Kick-ins could replace throw-ins in football after lawmakers agreed to allow trials of the idea, which has the backing of Arsenal legend and FIFA President Arsene Wenger.
The International Football Association Board (Ifab) conducted its annual general meeting in Doha on Monday, and a variety of issues and future reforms to the sport were discussed.
Among these was the potential of substituting kick-ins for throw-ins. Throw-ins have been used in football since the 1860s, when the Football Association prohibited kick-ins in 1863.
However, kick-ins may make a comeback when Ifab announced that experiments would take place and the Dutch second division expressed interest in checking it out.
The justification for a kick-in is that it will be done more quickly than a throw-in, thereby speeding up the process of returning the ball to the field.
There is also a perception that with kick-ins allowed, time-wasting will be more difficult, since teams seeking goals will not have to go through the motions of taking a throw-in and waiting for their teammates to catch up with the play before beginning attacks.
Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who is now the president of FIFA’s global football development, has previously advocated for kick-ins to eliminate time wasting and have a beneficial impact on the game
‘There are two big time-wasters at the moment, that is throw-ins and free-kicks, and a little bit goal-kicks as well because when you play out now in the box,’ he said last year.
‘The target is to make the game more spectacular and quicker, and maybe with throw-ins you could play with your feet, but in a limit of five seconds for example, things like that.
‘But it has to be tested and then has to be accepted by the Ifab.’
FIFA president Gianni Infantino added this week that ‘Proposals were made to test kick-ins. While we may be a bit sceptical on some of these measures… if some proposals are there to help the game, we will not know it before we look into it, so we will look into these proposals as well.’
Ifab also scheduled trials to determine a ‘fairer calculation of playing time’ after data revealed that the average Premier League match last season had the ball in play for barely 55 minutes. Games are scheduled to run 90 minutes, plus time for injuries or pauses in play.
This could result in the installation of a’stop clock,’ similar to those used in basketball and other sports.
Ifab stated in a statement that ‘Other trials such as explaining certain refereeing decisions during a game, a potentially fairer calculation of playing time, and kick-ins were also discussed.
‘The AGM was clear that these and any other trials require permission and will be supervised by the Ifab and Fifa.’
Meanwhile, semi-automated video assistant referee (VAR) technology could be used at the end-of-year Qatar World Cup.
The technology, which will be tested further in the coming months, uses automated ball detection to detect offsides in seconds.
Other than that, the usage of five substitutes has already been incorporated into the game’s rules, although Ifab has opted to extend studies of concussion substitutes for another 12 months ‘to gather sufficient data to form a scientifically valid decision.’
Body cameras worn by referees could also be tested in an effort to improve officials’ safety in adult grassroots football.
According to recent study, more than 90% of grassroots referees have faced abuse, and the FA is concerned that this will force many to quit the sport permanently.