Хөгжөөн дэмжигчид 48 багийн бүрэлдэхүүнтэй анхны Дэлхийн аварга шалгаруулах тэмцээний үр дүнд үндэслэн хөлбөмбөгийн дүрмүүдэд дорвитой өөрчлөлт оруулах саналуудыг дэвшүүллээ.
Тэмцээний туршид хэрэгжүүлсэн шингэн сэлбэх завсарлага, VAR-ын хэтэрхий өргөн хэрэглээ, тоглогчдын жүжиглэлт зэрэг нь үзэгчдийн шүүмжлэлийг ихээр дагууллаа. Олон хөгжөөн дэмжигчид “усан завсарлага” гэх нэрээр сурталчилгааны завсарлага авдгийг эсэргүүцэж, тэмцээнийг 32 багтай хуучин системд нь эргүүлэн оруулахыг шаардав. Мөн оффсайд дүрмийг илүү тодорхой болгож, торгуулийн талбайг багасгах, хувцас татах зэрэг зөрчлийг хатуу шийтгэх санал гаргажээ.
Тоглолтын цагийг илүү тодорхой болгох, VAR-ын хяналтыг зөвхөн гоол болон шар хуудас олгох үед хязгаарлах хэрэгтэй гэж үзэгчид үзэж байна. Түүнчлэн, улаан хуудас авсан тоглогчийг сэлгээгээр орлуулах боломжтой болгох, торгуулийн цохилтыг зөвхөн алдаа гаргасан тоглогч өөрөө гүйцэтгэх, тоглолтыг торгуулийн цохилтоор шийдэхээ болих зэрэг санаачилгууд ч гарчээ.
Олон улсын хөлбөмбөгийн холбоог тэмцээнийг өргөжүүлэхээс татгалзаж, тоглогчдын ядаргаа болон логистикийн хүндрэлийг харгалзан үзэхийг уриаллаа. Үзэгчид хөлбөмбөгийг илүү динамик, шударга, ойлгомжтой болгохын тулд дээрх өөрчлөлтүүдийг нэн даруй хэрэгжүүлэх шаардлагатай гэж үзэж байна.
Дэлгэрэнгүй эх сурвалжийг харах
Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
As the World Cup was coming to an end, we reached out to our readers to see what one change they would make to the tournament and, by extension, the sport itself.
The request was aimed at first-time viewers of the World Cup, or even those just getting into the game, but the replies also included thoughts from people who have followed football for much longer than the past six weeks.
So, after the first 48-team World Cup, one featuring hydration breaks at all matches, suspended bans, a half-time show in the final and countless other controversies, what are your suggestions for improvement?
Below is a selection of answers from The Athletic subscribers, some of which have been edited for brevity and clarity.
More yellows and reds for diving
Although I’ve been following the sport for many years, I couldn’t resist commenting here: get rid of VAR, except for goals and yellow cards for ‘flopping’ (diving).
Then give a red for repeat offenders, or anyone who rolls on the ground for two or more rotations.
John R.
Hydration breaks — not popular
I’m a long-time fan, and the two most important changes are: get rid of ‘hydration breaks’ unless the weather requires them, and, even then, limit them to one minute and have them on the opposite side of the pitch from the coaches. Oh, and limit half-time to 15 minutes and without concerts.
Martin W.
Get rid of mandatory hydration (advertising) breaks. True football is two halves.
Tim W.
Get rid of universal hydration breaks or don’t allow broadcasters to show commercials during them, don’t host midday games in tropical/sub-tropical climates, and stop expanding the group stage. FIFA will, I am sure, care a lot about fans’ opinions on these matters.
Anonymous U.
A lot of readers said they were not fans of hydration breaks (Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
What time is it anyway?
An accurate scoreboard clock. It’s insane that only one person in the stadium, or watching on TV, knows how much time is left in a half or game. Every other timed sport does it. Welcome to the 21st century.
Lance S.
Everyone should know when the game ends. It should not be a mystery.
Nick D.
Put a time limit on the “attacking phase of play” for the VAR to go back and review. It puts every goal in jeopardy because there are an infinite number of potential infractions. It also places an unfair onus on the referee, because it’s largely subjective anyway.
Matt S.
A few penalty area and offside tweaks, please
Shrink the penalty box. So many non-threatening plays result in spot kicks. It ruined the tournament.
Anonymous U.
The player fouled should be the one to take the penalty. If it’s handball, a team can choose their taker.
Burnie H.
I’ve often been puzzled by the notion of being offside when the ball is in the penalty box. Once the ball is in the box, offsides should be negated as the bodies of the two teams are so compacted. Can someone explain to me why this is not a good idea?
David M.
You need to fix the offside rule to produce more goals — the whole body should have to be offside. It’s ridiculous to call back a goal for a toe or shoulder being offside.
meganmaxson212
Ban the grabbing!
I’m a lifelong fan, but have had some beefs with the way it’s refereed for a long time. Here are some of the things I’d change:
- Disallow the laying of hands on another player. There’s way too much shirt-grabbing. It affects the play, but it never gets whistled.
- Only allow replays to be used to determine disputed calls. No “chip” in the ball, no computer graphics.
- If you’re going to continue to use the VAR system for everything, then do it for when players go down in pain. Half the time, they’ve barely been touched; give them a yellow card.
dankelty
Mexico and Ecuador players grappling during a corner (David Ramos/Getty Images)
No. More. Expansion — and go back to 32 teams
I would return to a 32-team World Cup. It makes the qualification process more competitive and improves the overall quality of the tournament. It would also eliminate the “best third-placed teams” rule, which I don’t think makes much sense.
I would also return to having a maximum of two host nations. Travelling between matches becomes much more difficult when the tournament is spread across multiple countries. Teams have flown thousands of kilometres between games over these six weeks, adding unnecessary fatigue and logistical challenges.
Francis A.
No more expansion! The World Cup was great at 32 teams. Now, one year after increasing it to 48, we’re talking about a 64-team tournament in 2030? Increasing the fields in the NCAA (basketball) Tournament or the College Football Playoff hasn’t improved the viewing experience or changed the contender picture. It should be hard to qualify for these events. We don’t need more games just to have more games.
Nick Kosmider, The Athletic staff writer, Denver Broncos
Has FIFA’s expanded World Cup format worked?
Adam Crafton
Being allowed to bring on a sub for someone who is sent off…
Teams should be able to use a substitute — if any remain — to replace a player who receives a red card. The red-card rules were instituted when substitutions were drastically limited. The game is far worse and inferior when a team is down to 10. The draconian penalty also results in referees “managing” a game and often keeping a merited second yellow in their pocket. Players who receive a red can still be suspended for the next game/games, depending on the severity of the infraction.
If this change feels lenient, an additional substitute should be struck from the bench at the same time. So if a team has all five subs to use and a red card occurs, only three subs would remain. If a team has one or zero subs left, a red-card offence would result in them playing down a man.
Antonio G.
No more shootouts…
Get rid of penalty kicks. It’s a disgrace to end the championship of the world in a way that’s different from the majority of the game that came before. I don’t care how tired the players get, someone has to score to win the game — just like every other sport on the planet does it come playoff time. And while we’re at it, start penalising players for faking injuries. What other sport accepts diving as an accepted part of the game? It’s embarrassing…
David E.
Timeouts, and four quarters
As a first-time consumer, I’ve really enjoyed it, but I do think there are basic improvements to make the game more consumable. First, get rid of the hydration breaks; just go to a true quarters system.
Second, let’s get rid of stoppage time and go to a two-minute warning before each half’s end. Alternatively, have a break between the end of regulation and the beginning of added time. Third, give each team three timeouts per half. All of these changes will allow more in-game coaching and adjustments. As a bonus, these breaks in the action give fans the opportunity to go to the fridge, the bathroom, or both.
Russell G.
