UEFA have announced a controversial new rule ahead of Euro 2024 in Germany this summer, with referees set to have more power than ever.
The tournament is set to get underway on the 14th of June with the hosts taking on Scotland, who will fancy themselves to get out of a group containing Hungary and Switzerland.
There has already been a major rule change for the euros with managers now able to pick a 26-man squad as opposed to the usual 23.
Enlarged squads were used in the last Euros in 2021 as a measure to help nations cope with the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, but this latest decision looks set to be long-term.
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However, the latest new rule will have a major impact off the pitch rather than on it, as now only the nation's captain will be allowed to approach a referee.
The rule states: "UEFA tells Euro 2024 teams that only captains will be able to approach the referee in matches - and any other places "who approaches the referee showing any sign of disrespect or dissent will be booked. If the captain is a goalkeeper, a teammate can be nominated to approach refs"
Chairman of the UEFA Referees Committee, Roberto Rosetti, outlined the reasoning behind the decision in La Gazzetta dello Sport on Tuesday.
“We want referees with strong personalities who make decisions that may be unpopular, but we also want them to be open and explain what led us to make determined choices. They receive a lot of information from VAR, and we are ready to talk and share as many details as possible with players and coaches to help them understand why a certain decision was made," The former Serie A referee explained.
“The behavior of footballers and coaches has always been key in football. During the Euro 2024 Workshop in April, coaches agreed that they were ready to work to favour fair play,” continued Rosetti.
“It is impossible to explain a decision to 22 players around you. It could lead to an interruption in the communication. Everyone believes it is harmful to the image of football."
Yellow cards for any form of descent have been introduced into the Premier League in recent times, but consistency with the rule has been far from perfect so it will be interesting if much leeway is given during the Euros this summer.
Tom Jenkins