Did Saudi Arabia breach one of FIFA’s new World Cup rules against Uruguay? | OneFootball

Fans, players, and coaching staff alike have had to wrap their heads around the new set of laws FIFA introduced for the 2026 World Cup in the US, Canada, and Mexico – some haven’t quite stuck yet.

In Saudi Arabia’s surprise 1-1 draw against a disjointed and disarrayed Uruguay – who hadn’t played a game since March – one of their new rules seemed to have subtly been breached while in-form Saudi goalkeeper Mohammed Al Owais was receiving treatment.

It occurred on the hour mark. Referee Maurizio Mariani was overseeing the goalkeeper’s treatment near Saudi Arabia’s goal. Georgis Donis called over one of his players for his coaching staff, notebooks open, to relay some tactical instruction.

The rule in question concerns what’s been called the ‘goalkeeper tactical timeout‘, which has become infamous in the Premier League this season with the suggestion that goalkeepers have been faking injuries in order for mangers to adjust tactics in-game.

When the manager finishes his business, their goalkeeper miraculously stands up and is fit to continue.

FIFA referees’ chief Pierluigi Collina told all 48 coaches at this year’s World Cup that players would be prevented from approaching the technical area in such a scenario. As per the rule, players of both teams must remain in place while the keeper is injured.

“We had a workshop with all the coaches of all the 48 teams and we told them that referees will be proactive,” Collina told BBC Sport.

“They will not allow the two teams to go to the benches when a goalkeeper is lying on the ground injured.

“The goalkeeper has the right to be injured, but the players do not have the right to leave the field of play to have a sort of timeout with their respective coaches.”

But unbeknownst to Mariani, Saudi Arabia didn’t heed Collina’s warning as the live television coverage on ITV appeared to show them in breach of the rule. On-air referee analyst Christina Umkel said there was no sanction available for the referee.

Although the introduction of the new rule is a welcome one for many, Umkel was ultimately right. While the tactical timeouts have officialy been banned by FIFA, no one can receive a yellow card nor any form of disciplinary sanction.

That is the distinction to be made between FIFA’s new rules implemented for the 2026 World Cup, and the Laws of the Game that are decided and reviewed every year by the International Football Association Board (IFAB).

It will beg the question in the eyes of many fans as to how the issue is being tackled if no action can be taken by the referee to enforce a new rule that has come from the very highest authority.

Fans took to social media to question why the second half’s hydration break, which itself is causing a rift of opinions, didn’t come while Al Owais – putting in the performance of his life despite Uruguay’s equalizer – was stricken on the turf.

One wrote on X: “So, it’s 60 mins, the Saudi keeper goes down. There is a break in play. Surely you just have the drinks break now?“Or is it nothing to do with drinks breaks at all and the TV stations need ad breaks queued up. We’ll never know.”

It remains to be seen what action, if any, FIFA will take in response if Saudi Arabia are found to have been in breach of one of their new rules and if referees will be empowered to take further action than what they currently can.

By extension, whether goalkeeper tactical timeouts will be addressed in future revisions to the game’s laws by IFAB.

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