FIFA to Trial New “No Return for 2 Minutes” Rule to Stop Fake Injuries — Plus Temporary Outfield Player Removal During GK Treatment

FIFA is set to trial a new rule aimed at stopping players from faking injuries to waste time — and it’s a big one.

Pierluigi Collina, the head of FIFA’s Referees Committee, told Qatar’s Al Kass on November 28 that the upcoming FIFA Arab Cup in December will introduce a test rule:

👉 If a team doctor enters the pitch, the treated player must stay off for 2 minutes before returning.

The idea is simple — stop players from pretending to be hurt just to slow the game down.

🔍 How the 2-minute rule works (in simple terms)

• A player who receives on-field treatment must remain off the pitch for 120 seconds.
• During that time, the team plays with 10 men.
• Exceptions:
  • Goalkeepers
  • Players about to take a penalty
  • Players fouled in actions that result in a yellow or red card to the opponent

In short: If you go down and need medical help, your team temporarily loses a player.

This dramatically reduces the incentive to exaggerate injuries.

🌍 Trial begins at the FIFA Arab Cup

The Arab Cup in Qatar features nations like Morocco, Egypt, and Syria.
Japan also has referee Junpei Iida participating as part of the VAR team.

Feedback from this tournament will determine whether FIFA moves forward with officially adding the rule to the Laws of the Game.

🧤 Separate proposal: Outfield player removal during goalkeeper treatment

According to the BBC, IFAB (the body that writes the Laws of the Game) is also discussing another idea:

👉 If a goalkeeper receives medical treatment, one outfield player must leave the pitch for 30 seconds.

Why?
Recently in the Premier League, Manchester City used the time during their goalkeeper’s treatment to hold a mini tactical meeting — which Leeds’ manager blasted as “a clear act of gamesmanship.”

Because goalkeepers cannot be forced off the pitch during treatment, IFAB wants to prevent teams from using these moments as tactical timeouts.

Another idea being discussed:

• Banning players from running to the bench for tactical talks during stoppages.

These discussions may lead to a wider update of the Laws of the Game.

Soy Futbol
https://www.soyfutbol.com/en/news/fifa-tests-game-changing-rule-players-receiving-treatment-must-leave-the-field-for-two-minutes-20251130-0011.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com

“Social Media Reactions”

CrossfieldOrbit
Stopping the clock like basketball sounds cleaner on paper, but honestly even a 30-minute half would end up dragging longer than what we have now.

　↳ SilverHarborFox
　The issue isn’t just lost minutes — it’s teams faking pain the moment momentum flips. They hit the ground, stall the match, and kill any rhythm the opponent built.
　The ref already pauses the watch a lot and adds it back as stoppage time anyway.

NorthboundSpire
If you take a real hit, now you basically have to wave the doctor away because you don’t want to leave your team a man down for two minutes.
Feels like players are going to push their bodies even harder just to avoid treatment.

　↳ FoglineDrift
　Cards against the opponent exempt you from the rule, so it’s going to become a weird gamble — “scream through the pain or limp off for two minutes.”

RidgeRunner48
So the old trick of “step off the pitch and hop right back in” is officially dead now?

MetroQuartz
Certain teams in the Middle East are going to lose their favorite stalling tactic with this one.

DeltaFieldLark
Two minutes sounds short, but if it stops a dangerous counter or kills a transition, some players will still take that trade every time.

IroncrestRelay
People say stoppage time balances everything out, but it really doesn’t.
If a team wastes ten minutes, they rarely get ten added back — maybe seven at best — and that’s still a net win, so of course teams keep doing it.

MarbleSundial
Wait, is this the same Collina everyone remembers? The iconic bald ref?

　↳ HarborPulse72
　Yep, the shiny-headed legend himself. Hard to mistake that guy.

TidewaySpecter
Didn’t realize Collina ended up in a position this high up. Guy really stayed in the game.

FrostedMesa
This rule could seriously punish players who are genuinely hurt.
And honestly, it might even reward teams that rough people up off the ball — injure someone and you’re basically forcing them to sit out two minutes.

　↳ DuneRidgePilot
　If the opponent gets carded, the rule doesn’t apply, so they’re at least trying to block that kind of abuse.

RustPeakVoyager
Imagine keeping the backup keeper standing by the post so you can swap during treatment breaks.
Pretty sure Donnarumma has milked a few “injuries” just to slow things down.

CliffsideEchelon
Two minutes is no joke.
That’s long enough to completely change the flow of a match.

IronTern88
I’ve seen so many players roll around like they’ve been shot, only to sprint back once they’re waved off the pitch.
If this cuts down on that circus, I’m all for it.

NightbayCobalt
Reckless challenges will probably go up.
If you hurt someone enough to need treatment, you’re effectively putting them down a man for two minutes.

　↳ HarborPulse72
　Apparently the exemption for card-related fouls is meant to stop exactly that from happening.

SilvergateSprinter
Honestly, not a terrible idea.
Football already embraced tech, added five subs, and ditched the old slow-paced substitution culture.
Might as well keep modernizing.

PinecrestRelay
If someone needs a doctor that badly, how are they magically fit to keep playing afterward?
Unless it’s just to stop bleeding or something, they should probably be subbed — forced or voluntary.

SableTrackRanger
Same with VAR — once you start enforcing the rules exactly as written, countries that play things straight, like Japan, benefit massively.
South American teams? Probably not as much.
The messy, grey-area stuff was part of the charm… but it definitely favored certain regions.

HarborlineCrater
Late-game “goalkeeper mysteriously collapsing” routines have been a Middle Eastern specialty forever.
No one’s shocked they’re cracking down.

StonegalePilot
The second half of the article is honestly the scarier part.
City, Arsenal, Spurs, even England all use the same trick — when the opponent changes tactics and starts taking control, the keeper suddenly goes down to reset the momentum.
If this becomes fully allowed, we’re going to see keepers dropping every five minutes like a relay race.

　↳ RustHornet94
　Mate, they’re already doing it constantly. This would just make the pattern even more obvious.

CliffhavenDusk
I get why people want fairness… but this also risks turning borderline dirty fouls into a “profitable” move.
If you hurt someone just enough without getting sent off, you’re basically giving your team a two-minute advantage.

GlacierTurnstile
Donnarumma, Raya, Vicario — the holy trinity of keepers who somehow collapse twice a match for absolutely no reason.

RivercrestEcho
No matter how much stoppage time they add, it never matches the momentum shift that happened during the delay.
If they’re serious about this rule, they should tighten the entire foul framework too.

SteelHollowWing
Getting your foot smashed for real hurts like hell.
That’s what makes this rule messy — the genuine pain looks exactly like the fake stuff.

AshenHarbor89
I actually like the idea of forcing an injured player off for a bit, but only if VAR steps in aggressively on borderline fouls.
Otherwise, small-but-dirty challenges become a free advantage for the defending team.

StoneveilOrbit
If refs were consistent humans with consistent standards, this could work.
But football keeps trimming away the “chaos fun” parts, and I’m not sure that’s an upgrade.

FrostValeCompass
You’d need a big list of exceptions — getting blasted in the face or stomach with the ball shouldn’t trigger a two-minute exit.
And honestly, pure time-wasting dives have already dropped a lot with stricter stoppage-time rules.
Even the Middle Eastern teams have toned it down.

NightstarQuarry
If they adopt this, VAR needs a much wider jurisdiction.
Used properly, it would clean up half the nonsense coming from certain West Asian nations.

CopperwindPilot
Someone should really question why FIFA is hosting an “Arab Cup” as if it’s a neutral world event.
It’s wild how open they are about these political ties.

CrimsonFoxRelay
Neymar the human tumbleweed is going to be furious about this one 😂

IronGateSprinter
What about introducing a lighter card — like a blue card?
Three blues = one yellow.
You’d use it for small elbows, light stamps, late tackles without playing the ball, mild dissent, stuff that refs currently only warn players for.
A blue card sends you off for two minutes, yellow for five.
And for GK treatment, just bring on the backup keeper — they barely play anyway.

LunarForgeSpecter
Ah yes, the classic Italian specialty move.