Football has taken the first tentative steps towards getting things back on track. Matches in the Korean league started behind locked doors and the international governing body FIFA has been quick to announce rule changes to better accommodate the new circumstances.
FIFA has allowed five substitutes per game instead of the previous three but allowing them to be made only on three opportunities apart from half-time to minimise stoppages in a game. If both teams make a substitution each at the same time, each uses up an opportunity, says the new rule applicable only to competitions scheduled to end in 2020.
The governing body, however, has been silent on the more divisive and potentially dangerous issue of spitting, a common sight in football. An advisory is expected in this regard but how effective will that be can only be gauged after more action unfolds. With so much physical effort being given on the pitch, a spit may be a small issue since all present would have been medically cleared beforehand.
Nothing surprising though about the changes announced by FIFA but the speed with which the proactive decision was taken is a miracle indeed. The International Football Association Board is required to approve all rule changes and it did just that within an extremely short span of time shows that powers that be are fully aware, and concerned, about the damaging effects of long-term closure.
The IFAB comprises England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland football associations apart from FIFA, which represents the rest of the world.
German Bundesliga faced a prospective loss of about 300 million euros, while Spanish La Liga is looking at an even bigger financial hit. UEFA too pushed its case well and has requested member nations to wrap up their domestic fixtures by July so that the prestigious Champions League can be completed by August 29. England's Premier League can't be kept in suspension for long though it may be tougher to restart the Italian Serie A after almost half a dozen players and staff from one leading club tested positive for the dreaded Covid-19 virus a few days ago.
All this, however, is subject to very tight health controls and, quite expectedly, scrutiny at every level is bound to be tough! Any mis-step could bring all the effort to nought even though TV companies at the moment appear upbeat at the prospect of getting back to Live sports coverage!
The world watches with bated breath as football shows the way. If successful, other sports would be quick to follow!
FIFA has allowed five substitutes per game instead of the previous three but allowing them to be made only on three opportunities apart from half-time to minimise stoppages in a game. If both teams make a substitution each at the same time, each uses up an opportunity, says the new rule applicable only to competitions scheduled to end in 2020.
The governing body, however, has been silent on the more divisive and potentially dangerous issue of spitting, a common sight in football. An advisory is expected in this regard but how effective will that be can only be gauged after more action unfolds. With so much physical effort being given on the pitch, a spit may be a small issue since all present would have been medically cleared beforehand.
Nothing surprising though about the changes announced by FIFA but the speed with which the proactive decision was taken is a miracle indeed. The International Football Association Board is required to approve all rule changes and it did just that within an extremely short span of time shows that powers that be are fully aware, and concerned, about the damaging effects of long-term closure.
The IFAB comprises England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland football associations apart from FIFA, which represents the rest of the world.
German Bundesliga faced a prospective loss of about 300 million euros, while Spanish La Liga is looking at an even bigger financial hit. UEFA too pushed its case well and has requested member nations to wrap up their domestic fixtures by July so that the prestigious Champions League can be completed by August 29. England's Premier League can't be kept in suspension for long though it may be tougher to restart the Italian Serie A after almost half a dozen players and staff from one leading club tested positive for the dreaded Covid-19 virus a few days ago.
All this, however, is subject to very tight health controls and, quite expectedly, scrutiny at every level is bound to be tough! Any mis-step could bring all the effort to nought even though TV companies at the moment appear upbeat at the prospect of getting back to Live sports coverage!
The world watches with bated breath as football shows the way. If successful, other sports would be quick to follow!
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