Gary Neville praises FIFA’s ‘unbelievable’ World Cup rule changes as new anti-time-wasting measures debut

Former England defender Gary Neville has thrown his support behind FIFA’s new World Cup regulations, describing several of the tournament’s rule changes as an “unbelievable introduction” that could significantly improve the spectacle for supporters.

FIFA unveils major rule shake-up

The 2026 World Cup is set to begin under a revised set of regulations designed to speed up play, reduce time-wasting and improve transparency between players, officials and supporters.

Among the most notable changes are strict limits on substitutions, throw-ins and goal-kicks. Players leaving the field after being substituted will now have just 10 seconds to do so, while teams will face five-second countdowns when restarting play from throw-ins and goal-kicks.

Any player who deliberately delays leaving the pitch after a substitution risks forcing their team to play with one fewer player for a full minute — a punishment already seen during Iceland’s recent warm-up fixture against Japan.

Neville applauds crackdown on time-wasting

Speaking on The Overlap, Neville welcomed FIFA’s attempt to tackle one of football’s most frustrating habits.

“I think this is an unbelievable introduction – time-limited substitutions,” Neville said.

“I love that. It’s so annoying watching players walk off slowly. The players and teams are gaming the system. You can criticise FIFA for many things but I do think they get their referee stuff right. I think those are pretty good introductions and will make the game better for the fans.”

The former Manchester United captain was equally enthusiastic about the new restart countdowns.

“We’ve got some rule changes coming in for the World Cup. I’m massively up for the throw-in counter,” he added.

“The amount of time that is taken in the Premier League… I’ve lost count of how many times we mentioned that last season. What we’ve witnessed over the past 12 months is teams stopping the game for a minute to prepare for set-pieces. I think it’s a good introduction.”

FIFA targets player transparency

Another headline-grabbing change involves a ban on players covering their mouths during heated exchanges with opponents or officials.

The rule was introduced following growing concerns over transparency and communication on the pitch, particularly after several high-profile incidents in European football.

Former Arsenal and England striker Ian Wright strongly supported the move.

“That’s a good rule,” Wright said.

“You can’t prove things if players are covering their mouths. I think that’s a good one. I quite like that.”

Keane raises concerns over player welfare

Not everyone is fully convinced by the timing of the new measures.

Roy Keane questioned whether speeding up the game is appropriate given the demanding summer conditions expected across parts of North America.

“Some of the rules are about the speed of play but it’s strange they’ve brought them in now when we’re talking about the conditions being so tough for the players,” Keane said.

“If ever players will want to slow the game down it will be now given the heat in some of these venues.”

A new era for the World Cup

Despite some reservations, FIFA believes the changes will help create a faster, fairer and more entertaining tournament for supporters worldwide.

With the opening match now just around the corner, football fans will soon discover whether the governing body’s bold experiment becomes a permanent part of the modern game.

---