“Absolutely ridiculous; Most useless rule”- Fans slam IFAB rule changes preventing goalkeepers from doing Emiliano Martinez like antics in football
Twitter reacts after IFAB makes new changes regarding penalties
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The International Football Association Board announced that goalkeepers will not be allowed to delay the taking of a penalty and cannot touch the crossbar or posts to prevent them from distracting the spot-kick takers. Behaviors that show a lack of respect will not be tolerated. The rule will be taken into effect from July 1st.
Meant to reduce taunting and the distraction of shot-takers, the rule change comes after Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez‘s antics to distract France players during the penalty shootout in the World Cup final last year as the South American nation went on to win the competition. It has split the opinions of fans, with many believing that it is a part of the game, whereas some others think that it is unfair to add these rules for goalkeepers and not try to ban stuttered run-ups for the penalty-takers.
In the days that have followed La Albiceleste’s remarkable World Cup final triumph over France, Martinez has mocked France talisman Kylian Mbappe a number of times. The most notable example saw Aston Villa ‘keeper holding a toy baby with the Paris Saint-Germain forward’s face taped on the front. Such antics were intolerable in the eyes of IFAB, and they completely changed the goalkeeping antics to make it even harder to make saves.
Here is how fans reacted after IFAB rules changed
If this rule comes into conduct, it will, without a doubt, favor the attackers after not being under any pressure, and we may rarely see goalkeepers saving penalties from now on. The penalty conversion rates may well increase, and we may see the records of Manuel Neuer and Gianluigi Buffon remaining the goalkeepers with the most penalty saves.
France goalkeeper Mike Maignan slams the Emi Martinez-inspired rule change for penalties
France goalkeeper Mike Maignan mocked the recent changes to how goalkeepers can act during penalties. Ironically enough, it was the Argentine goalkeeper’s tactics against France which led to amend the laws. Still, the new first-choice keeper for France after the retirement of Hugo Lloris mocked the decision.
He has now taken to social media to ridicule the IFAB ruling. He wrote sarcastically on Twitter: “New IFAB penalty rules 2026: Goalkeepers must have their backs to the shot. If the penalty is saved, the opposition gets an indirect freekick.” It is fair to say that Maignan isn’t a fan of the new penalty rules, which further limit goalkeepers’ chances to prevent what is already an extremely high goal conversion chance.
The AC Milan shot-stopper saved a last-minute penalty from Netherlands’ forward Memphis Depay during France’s 4-0 victory in yesterday’s Euro 2024 qualifier. He will be in action again on Tuesday when Les Bleus take on Ireland in their second Euro 2024 qualifying game.
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Justin P Joy
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