What Athletic fans need to know about new refereeing rules in 2026/27 | OneFootball

Athletic open against Sevilla at San Mamés on Saturday, with supporters set to navigate new refereeing directives in 2026/27. Time-wasting will be hit harder, a trial targets feigned goalkeeper injuries, and VAR’s reach grows with a chip in the ball.

According to El Correo, some mirror the World Cup and others are an IFAB pilot in Spain. Substituted players have 10 seconds to leave once signalled or must wait one minute to return. A goalkeeper who drags out his substitution is cautioned.

Players treated on the pitch must then spend one minute off it, with limited exceptions for clear injury risk, including head knocks or serious collisions, goalkeeper injuries, or when the player is about to take a penalty.

Delays at throw-ins or goal-kicks trigger a five-second countdown. Overrun it and the restart changes hands, rival throw-in or a corner for time-wasting at a goal-kick, without cautions.

Under the goalkeeper-injury trial, if medics enter then the keeper says he does not need treatment, the coach has 10 seconds to pick an outfield player to leave for one minute, otherwise the captain must go off.

Spain will not apply the Ley Vinicius. Covering the mouth is not an automatic red, though it can draw a yellow in confrontations, and disciplinary bodies may punish later. Penalties scored after a double touch will be retaken.

Handball inside the area during a goal-kick will always mean a penalty. VAR adds checks for clearly wrong second yellows leading to red, mistaken identity, immediate wrong corners and fouls before attacking set pieces, with the chip aiding offside timing and double-touch or faint handball calls.

Source: El Correo

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”