Fifa sees red over tackles from behind

“Officially from July 1, but effectively from the kick-off of the World Cup finals on June 10, all tackles from behind will be sanctioned by a red card everywhere on the field of play,” he told a news conference at the end of Fifa’s World Cup workshop with the 32 finalists.

The international football association board, the game’s law making body, passed an amendment to Law 12 on Fouls and Misconduct at a meeting last month.

The amendment designates the tackle from behind as serious foul play and therefore a sending-off offence. However, referees at the workshop wondered whether the tackle had physically to endanger a player for the tackler to be sent off.Blatter told referees that all tackles from behind should receive red cards.

“It’s impossible for the referee to see if a tackle is dangerous or not because all tackles from behind put in danger the physical integrity of the opponent,” he said.

FANS TO KNOW OF EXTRA-TIME: Fans and players at the World Cup will know how many minutes of extra time will be played when the information is signalled to each bench and flashed up on electronic substitution boards.Fifa announced at its workshop that World Cup referees will signal to the team’s bench how many minutes have been added for injuries, substitutions and time wasting.

Blatter said a substitution will add 30 seconds to a half, meaning that if both teams use their substitutions, a match will automatically last three more minutes.

The move came after the 32 qualifying nations gathered here at a World Cup workshop unanimously backed the system, which has been in use in Italy’s Serie A.

Blatter said, “For an injury they will add one minute andin the case of extreme injury the effective time,” he said.

DRUG TESTS: Referees and match officials will be allowed to demand more than the usual two random drug tests from each team at the World Cup, Michel d’Hooghe, the head of Fifa’s medical committee said.

“If they see something suspicious they have the right to demand more,” he said at the World Cup workshop. “They have the right to demand tests for the whole team.” In normal circumstances, a lottery will designate two players from each team after each of the 64 matches for drug testing.

At the World Cup four years ago, Argentina’s Diego Maradona was thrown out of the competition after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs. Willie Johnston of Scotland was also banned in 1978 as was Ernest Jean-Joseph of Haiti in 1974.

Ukraine’s Serhiy Nahornyak of Ukraine was the only player to test positive in the World Cup qualifying matches for France ’98.