Changes to the Laws of the Game, which enter into force on 1 June, will not apply in UEFA’s competitions until 25 June, in accordance with the flexibility granted by The International Football Association Board (IFAB).
New Laws of the Game due to come into force on 1 June will not be applied at that day’s UEFA Champions League final between Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool in Madrid.
The various law changes, approved in March by football’s lawmakers, The International Football Association Board (IFAB), will be applied in all UEFA competitions which start on or after 25 June, in line with The IFAB’s dispensation.
This means that the new laws will also not be applied at the UEFA Nations League finals in Portugal from 5-9 June; the 2018-20 European Qualifiers third and fourth matchdays in June; the UEFA European Under-21 Championship finals in Italy from 16-30 June; and the UEFA Regions’ Cup finals in Bavaria, Germany from 18-26 June.
The Laws will come into force for the 2019/20 UEFA Champions League preliminary round on 25 June; the UEFA Europa League preliminary round on 27 June; the 2018/19 European Under-19 Championship and European Women’s Under-19 Championship finals in July; the UEFA Super Cup match in August and the 2018-20 European Qualifiers from Matchday 5 in September, and for all other UEFA competitions that kick-off after 25 June.
The IFAB has informed competition organisers that for ongoing competitions, they may decide on the starting date of implementation, which may be postponed until the end of the competition at the latest.
The month of June sees the continuation and conclusion of matches in several of the current season’s European competitions.
In order to avoid any disruption due to limited preparation time and any resulting lack of awareness of the substantial number of changes to the Laws of the Game, UEFA has decided to time the implementation to coincide with the start of the new season.
This aims to provide enough time for UEFA’s 55 member associations to ensure that all of their clubs and players are fully prepared for the changes.
The law changes do not apply to futsal competitions until any updates are made to the FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game.
