Spain: these new refereeing rules set to debut in La Liga

Football has undergone several major changes in recent years. From the introduction of VAR to hydration breaks during the last World Cup, the beautiful game keeps evolving. In Spain, refereeing remains a major talking point. In this context, new changes are on the horizon.

Javier Tebas and LaLiga want to take matters into their own hands. The league’s top brass have implemented several measures for the 2026-2027 season. Just like at the 2026 World Cup, substituted players will have only 10 seconds to leave the pitch. If they take too long, they’ll have to exit, but their replacement won’t be allowed to enter until the next stoppage in play. This rule aims to cut down on time-wasting, especially towards the end of matches.

Another measure to reduce time-wasting in La Liga addresses situations where a goalkeeper’s injury requires medical staff to come onto the pitch. In such cases, a player from the team will then have to leave the field for one minute. Among the new features is the awarding of corners to the opposition: if a goalkeeper is deemed to be wasting time on a goal kick, the referee will give a corner to the opposing team. The same goes for throw-ins—if time-wasting is detected, the throw will be awarded to the other team.

Read also: Hydration breaks: LaLiga makes its decision

VAR will also have a broader scope of action. It will be able to review potential second yellow cards for players—something that wasn’t allowed until now. VAR can also be used to correct certain identity errors, such as a card given to the wrong player.

Joshua SOSSOU

Editorfr, en, ar

As a sports fan, and particularly a football fan, I've been putting my writing talent to good use for a number of years now to promote African talent and the continent's football in general. On Foot Africa, enjoy reading each of my lines.

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