World Cup referees may be granted additional authority to tackle shirt-pulling and blocking inside the penalty area during set pieces. FIFA officials are exploring the possibility of penalizing fouls before a corner kick is even taken, aiming to prevent the ugly “wrestling” scenes seen in the Premier League this season from recurring at the World Cup.
The governing body is studying ways to curb obstruction, holding, and obvious infringements during corners and free kicks. Although the tournament is just a month away, discussions are ongoing and details remain to be finalized. The measures could be issued as new directives, encouraging referees to be more vigilant and strict. These instructions have already been discussed with national team coaches ahead of the World Cup.
Referees will pay special attention to blocking during corner kicks. A key example cited was England’s match against Uruguay in March, where Ben White scored at Wembley but Adam Wharton was accused of blocking Jose Maria Gimenez in the process. Speaking as an ITV pundit that night, US women’s national team coach Emma Hayes said: “I think nine times out of ten, blocking someone like that should be a foul. I was surprised it wasn’t given.”
FIFA intends to review such incidents and decisions to avoid a repeat of the controversy that saw Arsenal’s late winner disallowed by VAR in their match against West Ham. It remains unclear how referees could intervene to penalize pushing and pulling before the whistle blows or the ball is in play, but that option is under discussion. It could become a specific instruction for this tournament, to be implemented when match officials arrive at the World Cup base in Miami early next month.
Premier League referees Michael Oliver and Anthony Taylor, along with their assistants, will be told to take strong and decisive preventive measures against a series of ugly clashes. While football’s laws state that non-violent fouls can only be punished when the ball is in play, this new directive could allow referees to award free kicks, penalties, and issue yellow or red cards before the set piece is taken.
The development comes just 24 hours after the head of FIFA’s World Cup Technical Study Group warned that he expects referees to take a tougher stance. Former Switzerland goalkeeper Pascal Zuberbuehler said: “We have seen this happening, especially in the Premier League with Arsenal. Of course, it’s a trend, but I’m sure at our World Cup we have the best referees, and they will play a key role in these situations. We know it’s difficult for them because goalkeepers are often fouled by these small movements, and officials have to spot them among so many players. It’s not easy to see, but I am very, very confident that we have the best referees anyway, and we will handle this in a very good way. Obviously, we need to be aware of it from the start.” Zuberbuehler clearly anticipated the new tough measures being finalized at FIFA’s Zurich headquarters ahead of the World Cup.