Latvia will adopt the updated IFAB Laws of the Game for the 2026-27 season from 1st of August, the Latvian Football Federation has confirmed. The changes cover measures aimed at reducing time-wasting, adjustments to the VAR protocol and several clarifications for match officials.
One of the key amendments concerns substitutions. A player being replaced must leave the pitch within 10 seconds of the substitution being displayed on the board, or from the referee’s signal if there is no board. If the player does not depart within that period, the replacement can only enter at the next stoppage after one minute of playing time has elapsed from the restart, while the substitution itself cannot be cancelled or switched to a different substitute.
IFAB has also tightened procedures around delayed restarts. Referees are empowered to sanction a team for stalling a throw-in by awarding it to the opponents, and for delaying a goal-kick by awarding the opponents a corner. Where a team is deemed to be deliberately holding up its own throw-in or goal-kick, the referee can signal, begin a visible five-second countdown and then, if the restart is not taken, switch possession accordingly.
In addition, injured players who receive treatment or have their condition assessed on the pitch – or whose injury causes a stoppage or a delayed restart – must leave the field and remain off for one minute of playing time after the match restarts, with specific exceptions including goalkeepers, serious injuries and cases where the injury results from an offence punished with a yellow or red card.
The VAR protocol has been expanded to include several rare but potentially decisive errors. These include a red card shown as the result of an obviously incorrect second yellow, and clear cases of mistaken identity when a caution or dismissal is given to the wrong player. A clearly incorrect corner decision may also be reviewable in limited circumstances, provided the check can be completed immediately without delaying the restart.
Other updates include guidance on safe accessories, a clarification on applying advantage when a restart is taken incorrectly, and a principle that a dropped ball should be returned to the team that would have retained or gained possession had play not been stopped. There is also a clarification on accidental double touches at penalties, with a retake ordered if the ball goes in.
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Source: https://lff.lv/zinas/19105/ar-augustu-stajas-speka-jaunie-futbola-speles-noteikumi/
