La Liga rejects ‘Vinicius law’ as new time-wasting rules take effect

La Liga will introduce stricter measures against time-wasting next season but will not adopt the controversial rule that could have led to players being sent off for covering their mouths while speaking to opponents.

The changes have been approved by Spain’s Technical Committee of Referees as part of an attempt to increase effective playing time and make matches faster and more fluid. Referees will be given greater authority to act against players and teams who deliberately disrupt the flow of a game.

Some of the measures have already been used at the World Cup, while others will be implemented in Spain with certain differences. The central aim is to reduce delays and deal firmly with behaviour that affects the continuity of matches.

“Everyone hopes that common sense will prevail in order to apply the new rules,” a source from the Technical Committee of Referees told Spanish newspaper Marca.

One of the main areas of focus will be the time taken by players leaving the pitch after being substituted. If a player takes more than 10 seconds to leave, the replacement will not be allowed to enter immediately.

Instead, the substitute must wait until the first stoppage in play after a full minute of effective playing time has elapsed. The measure is intended to prevent players from slowing down the substitution process and deliberately using up valuable time.

A different procedure will apply when a player is suspected of pretending to be injured. The player will be required to leave the pitch and will not be permitted to return until one minute has passed from the next stoppage in play. There will be no need for the referee to stop the match again specifically to allow the player back on.

The committee will pay particular attention to goalkeepers who appear to claim injuries in order to halt the match and waste time.

If the referee believes the injury is not genuine and that the stoppage was deliberate and unnecessary, the manager will have to select one of his players to leave the pitch within 10 seconds.

Should the instruction not be followed, the team captain will be the player required to leave. The rule is designed to ensure that a team does not gain an advantage by using a suspected injury to stop play.

Referees will be able to begin a 10-second countdown when they have indications that a team is intentionally trying to waste time. They can then apply the sanctions and procedures set out in the revised regulations.

However, Spain’s Technical Committee of Referees has decided not to introduce one of the most debated provisions of recent months. The rule would have allowed players to be sent off for covering their mouths while speaking to opponents, a measure widely referred to in the media as the “Vinicius law”.

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) laws allow each competition to decide whether to implement the provision. Spanish referees have chosen not to apply it in domestic competitions.

“For us, covering the mouth will not be a red card. We do not know what the player said to his opponent, and we believe sending him off would be unfair and excessive,” committee officials said.

The decision means players in Spanish competitions will not face automatic dismissal solely because they cover their mouths during conversations with opponents, while the new anti-time-wasting measures will be applied more rigorously from the start of the season.