UMVA has learned that Gary Neville, the former Manchester United and England defender, has expressed his support for several new rule changes introduced by FIFA for the upcoming World Cup, praising them as 'pretty good introductions' that will benefit fans.
The 2026 World Cup is set to kick off on Thursday evening with co-hosts Mexico taking on South Africa, followed by the main hosts, USA, playing their World Cup opener in the early hours of Saturday morning, and reigning champions Argentina beginning their defence on Wednesday.
Neville, a Manchester United legend and ex-England defender, described the '10-second substitution' rule as 'unbelievable', which requires players to leave the pitch within 10 seconds of being substituted, or the player replacing them will have to wait a full minute before entering the field of play.
This new rule has already shown its impact, as Japan benefited from it in a World Cup warm-up match on Sunday, scoring a second-half winner when Iceland were down to ten men as a substitute was forced to wait to come on.
Neville also backed the introduction of the 'five-second restart' rule, which says possession will be reversed if a player is deemed to be time-wasting from a goal-kick or throw-in, aiming to speed up the game and reduce time-wasting tactics.
The new rules also include VAR changes, such as intervening on incorrectly awarded corner kicks, fouls that occurred before play has started, and second yellow cards leading to a red card, as well as players being prohibited from covering their mouths during confrontational situations.
Additionally, the tournament will feature hydration breaks, with each game having one three-minute hydration break per half, and injured players will be required to leave the pitch for one minute, with some exceptions applying.
Neville praised FIFA for getting their referee-related decisions right, stating that these new introductions will make the game better for fans, and ex-Arsenal and England striker Ian Wright also supported the rule change regarding players covering their mouths.
However, not everyone is convinced, with Roy Keane questioning how these rules will play out during a tournament where the heat is expected to be an issue for players, suggesting that teams may try to slow the game down to cope with the conditions.
England, aiming to win their second World Cup, will begin their campaign against Croatia on Wednesday night, with high hopes and expectations surrounding their performance.
