Barça players in Referee Meeting

FC Barcelona is gearing up to kick off their LaLiga season this Saturday at 9:30 pm against Valencia at Mestalla. The team is already aware of the new refereeing changes that will be in effect this season. Recently, Catalan referee Víctor García Verdura met with the squad at Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper to explain the new rules and guidelines for the upcoming domestic competition. This follows a telematic meeting held by the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) with coaches from the First and Second Division, including Hansi Flick, who was present with his coaching staff and players.

Some of the key refereeing changes in LaLiga this season include allowing a sixth substitution in case of a concussion, the re-taking of a penalty if a player enters the area too early and affects the play, limiting the warm-up to five players per team during the match, and implementing the semi-automatic offside rule to help identify controversial plays. Moreover, only team captains can question the referees, and efforts will be made to minimize VAR interference to preserve the excitement of the game.

These new rules set by the CTA will be in effect for the upcoming LaLiga matches. It remains to be seen how referees will apply these changes to enhance the flow and appeal of football for fans.

This content has been translated and adapted from the Spanish version of the digital newspaper