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During the set kick, there was a big fight. Between the offense and defense, you pulled me, I pulled you, and eventually it became a chaotic situation. It was impossible to figure out who was committing the foul. This is one of the mainstream trends in the Premier League this season, that is, "crowding the subway". Many fans think this kind of scene is not good-looking. Yes, the "change of judgment controversy" that broke out in the game between Arsenal and West Ham last week has pushed this topic to the forefront. So will we see a similar scene in this summer's World Cup? After all, the England team once played the role of "set-piece master" in the World Cup in Russia. Judging from the current situation, the probability is not particularly high, because FIFA is already thinking about granting referees additional powers, so that they can strictly crack down on crowding and wrestling behaviors that occur during set-piece competition.
According to the news released by the British "Times", although the revision of football rules needs to be discussed and approved by IFAB (International Football Association Board), and it will be difficult to promulgate specific new rules for set-piece offense and defense in the short term, FIFA is already studying the space of formulating "special rules" for the World Cup, and there is the possibility of giving additional powers to referees. It is said that their refereeing department is considering whether to make penalties for "hugging and wrestling" before a corner kick or free kick is taken. For example, if the offensive team illegally blocks or pulls when fighting for position, the referee is likely to directly determine that it has lost the corner kick opportunity – in a dead ball state. However, according to the current rules, the referee needs to be in a live ball state before he can judge a set kick. However, there are still situations where red and yellow cards can be issued.
It is believed that the head coaches of all 48 participating teams in the US-Canada-Mexico World Cup have received clear notifications that FIFA will require referees to adopt a tough enforcement attitude and may even issue new enforcement guidelines for this event. As for what constitutes an "illegal obstruction," the Times mentioned an example from a national team match: In March this year, England played a friendly match with Uruguay. Before Ben White scored, England midfielder Adam Walton "knocked down" Jimenez in the center of the penalty area during the attack.
Hayes, the former Chelsea women's football coach and current US women's national team coach who was a guest commentator at that time, once said: "Such a blocking action is nine times out of ten a foul. I am surprised that this ball was not whistled." However, after carefully watching the replay, it is not difficult to find that the competition for the ball's blocking is simply insignificant compared to the current situation in the Premier League.