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How Will The Euro 2024 Rules Impact The Domestic Leagues?

Euro 2024 certainly lives up to its hype. An array of exciting matches have already occurred, with stadiums being regularly packed. Even outside stadiums, the tournament continues to break viewership records – right from the competition’s opener. A big part of the spotlight is on UEFA’s rules changes. These new rules already have a direct impact on the game, and they cover a wide range of areas – from VAR decisions to player behaviour towards referees, so let’s take a look at what those rules are and how they would impact domestic leagues.

Strong Emphasis on Dissent

Roberto Rosetti, who is UEFA’s managing director of refereeing pledged to stop stop unacceptable player conduct a few months before Euro 2024 even started.

As such, UEFA introduced a rule that allows only for the captain to approach match officials. In return, referees will try to provide captains with more detailed explanations regarding their ongoing decisions. Any other player who ignores the new rules will receive a yellow card.

A Game of Emotion

After all, football is a game of emotion, so critics were already quick to say that such cautions would reflect negatively on players’ passion and dedication – the cornerstone of any football match. Just imagine the likes of Nunez, Kimmich, or any player in a Jose Mourinho team staying still while the referee makes a decision against their team – impossible, right?

Player Protection

Rosetti also announced that Euro 2024 will see referees show zero tolerance for dangerous challenges. The main actors – players, must be protected. Referees must be strong in these decisions and protect the image of the game.

Invitation for More Controversy

There is nothing wrong with protecting players, but wasn’t it always the case? Forcing and pushing referees to make these decisions may have the opposite impact. Sometimes, tackles in slow motion look much worse than they actually are, so if domestic leagues adopt this rule, we may witness soft red cards and even more controversy.

Live Broadcast of VAR Decisions

It would be an understatement to say that VAR has been controversial ever since its introduction. Some decisions made with the help of the technology have been nothing short of scandalous, and teams even thought about scrapping VAR at one point.

So, in an attempt to improve the usage of VAR, UEFA announced all decisions will be explained in real time on big screens in the stadiums. After VAR gives its opinion, a technical explanation will follow for the general public.

A Step in the Right Direction

VAR must be improved, there is no going away from that fact. We’ve already seen a few Euro 2024 matches with live explanations of VAR decisions, and it seems like it works just fine.

However, explanations are worth nothing if match officials make contentious decisions. The decision-making process must improve, and some more clear explanations and implementation of rules are needed if VAR is to function correctly.

Limit on Added Time

Euro 2024 introduced a limit on time added at the end of each half. According to UEFA, the objective is to not exceed 10 minutes, with a total of 60 minutes in effective game time being the aim.

Unnecessary Changes

Everyone would love more game time, but is a limit on added time going to do the trick? Hardly so, as we believe referees should focus on preventing players from time wasting to try to improve the overall game.

Snickometer Technology

Cricket already uses the so-called “Snickometer” technology and Euro 2024 implements it to provide greater clarity to handball and offside decisions.

Match balls and the competition will have motion-sensing microchips which will record every touch of the ball at an impressive rate of 500 times per second. So, graphics will measure any force placed on the ball, so VAR officials will have an easier time determining whether the ball struck a hand or not.

Great Addition

This is a great example of how technology can be used to improve football. Referees will undoubtedly benefit from knowing whether or not the ball touched a certain player’s arm or not, so at least a bit of controversy will be avoided.

Semi-Automated Offside

Semi-automated offside shows the correct moment a player passes the ball, and thanks to 10 specially designed cameras that track 29 body points, offside decisions will be made faster and more accurately.

Another Great Use of Technology

Some leagues already use semi-automated offside, and as it is set to be used in the following season, it seems like the days of drawing lines and taking forever for offside decisions are long gone.

How Will The Euro 2024 Rules Impact The Domestic Leagues?