Cooling-off periods

At a glance

  • Purpose: Allow referees to suspend play to allow tempers to cool, prevent confrontations, and protect player safety
  • Approved at: IFAB Annual Business Meeting (December 2024)
  • Scope: Available only to competitions without top two domestic league teams or senior ‘A’ international teams
  • Trial period: Ongoing, with feedback collected from participating competitions
  • Contact: [email protected]

Background

While Law 5 already allows referees to stop, suspend, or abandon matches due to outside influence (e.g., spectator misbehaviour), certain on-field confrontations between players and team officials can threaten safety and match control.

A formal cooling-off period gives referees a tool to:

  • Pause play when tensions run high.
  • Allow emotions to settle before resuming.
  • Encourage captains and coaches to promote proper conduct among their teams.

Trial protocol

Referee signal

    • Blow the whistle.
    • Raise both arms above the head and cross wrists.
    • Uncross arms and push them sideways at shoulder level to send players to their designated area.


Player movement

    • All players must move to and remain in their own penalty area (or another safe area chosen by the referee).
    • Failure to comply may result in a yellow card.


Meeting during suspension

    • Captains, coaches, and any approved officials meet the referee and assistants in the centre circle to:
      • Hear the reason for suspension.
      • Learn expected duration.
      • Receive instructions for resumption.


Team officials & substitutes

    • Must remain off the field in the technical area, except one person to:
      • Provide drinks to players.
      • Assess or treat injured players.


Duration & resumption

    • Referee decides the cooling-off length (weather and incident severity considered).
    • Captains recalled to centre circle when play is ready to restart.
    • A short warm-up period may be allowed before resumption.


Limits

    • Maximum two cooling-off periods per match.
    • If conditions remain unsafe after two periods, match is abandoned.
    • Referee may abandon a match without any cooling-off period if necessary.


Suspension for outside interference

    • First part of the signal (arms crossed above head) may be used for non-participant interference.
    • Players may be sent to changing rooms or tunnel area instead of penalty areas for safety.
Protocol A

Participation & permissions

    • Competitions must apply to The IFAB via their national FA or confederation.
    • The trial protocol must be followed in full; no variations without written IFAB approval.
    • Feedback and technical data must be supplied to The IFAB for review.

FAQs