Below are some important information and reminders that Players, Coaches, Managers and Match Officials need to be aware of for the 2026 Winter season with regard to Laws of the Game, Match Officials and Disciplinary topics. It is important that you read these.
1. U18 Match Officials
2. FIFA Law Changes
3. Law Interpretations by Match Officials
4. Playing of Ineligible Players
5. Suspensions
U18 match officials
Football Canterbury and the CRA value our junior match officials highly, but we are unfortunately seeing too many leave the game too quickly and a lot of that is down to abuse they receive from players, team officials and spectators. Many of these match officials are new to the role and learning. They will make mistakes just like players and coaches do during games but some think they have a right to abuse a match official for the mistake they make.
At a recent FC Board Meeting, a new initiative was agreed with the CRA that clearly identifies match officials that are under the age of 18 on match days, by way of a visible arm band. This will be implemented for the 2026 season. These armbands should be in place by the end of April 2026, but that does not give anyone the right to go out an abuse a junior official in the meantime and think they can get away with it.
The Board also resolved that where misconduct towards a match official that is identified as under 18 years of age occurs, a minimum of one (1) additional fixture will be added to that individual’s suspension. There will be no opportunity to debate that minimum additional fixture. This applies to players of any age and team officials. In instances where an adult is guilty of misconduct towards a match official under 18-years, FC reserves the right to a lodgement with the Office of Children’s Guardian.
Any form of Abuse is NOT acceptable towards anyone.
Below are law changes introduced by FIFA for 2026.
GK 8 Seconds (Law 12.2) – where a GK has clear control of the ball, the referee will countdown from 8 seconds and will use a raised hand to count down the last 5 seconds. If the GK exceeds 8 seconds, the referee will award a corner kick on the side of the field nearest to the GK.
Inadvertent Interference (Law 9.2) – Inadvertent Interference with play, where a team official, substitute, substituted or sent off player or player who is temporarily off the field of play (injury or adjusting equipment) touches the ball while it is still in play but where its clearly leaving the field of play, will be penalized with an indirect free kick and no sanction against the offending person.Clear, deliberate and impactful interference will be a direct free kick or penalty kick and Red Card.
Dropped Ball Restarts
Play stopped with ball inside penalty area - the ball will be dropped to goalkeeper.
Play stopped with ball outside penalty area - dropped ball from where play stopped, to the team that had or would have had possession.
Double Touch Penalty Kicks
Accidental Double Touch – Scored – Penalty Retake
Accidental Double Touch – Missed – Indirect FK or advantage
Deliberate Double Touch – Indirect free kick or advantage
Interpretations (please see attached document at the bottom of this page). They are as follows:
Managing Yellow Cards
Second Yellow Cards
Upper Body Contact
Holding
Handball
Allowance for Time Lost
Please note: The Captains Only which is included in the document is not in play for all FNSW and Associations competitions in 2026. As it stands the captain does not have any rights to approach a referee to argue or question a decision they have made (never has). Also, where it mentions videos, each club has a copy of a the Powerpoint which this is from and that is able to provide the video links.
Playing of Ineligible Players
Teams that feel the need to play ineligible players will get found out and the punishments for team officials and players responsible for making it happen are very severe.
Football Canterbury takes a very dim view of those responsible for deliberating CHEATING with a 12-month automatic suspension imposed plus other penalties depending on the level of cooperation after investigation. Whole teams can be disqualified.
If you play while serving a suspension, you are facing an automatic 12-month ban on top of your suspension that you are serving.
Think twice before making that decision or if you see it about to happen, step in and say don’t do it. It really isn’t worth it for a game of football.
Suspensions
Any participants (player, coach, manager) that incurs a suspension (red card, accumulation of yellow cards, Tribunal hearings) during the 2026 season in Football Canterbury, is suspended from all football activity until that suspension has been served in the league from which the suspension derived from. For example, a player is sent off, gets 5 matches in AA13 and also coaches U8 girls, the participant is suspended from both until the ban is served with the AA13 team. There is no lenience given.
Any suspension is with immediate effect. As an example, if a player is sent off in a game on a Saturday, if that player is participating in another game on the Sunday as a player, coach or manager, they are not allowed to take the park in any capacity. Just because it might not say the participant is suspended on Dribl, this does not mean the player/coach/manager is absolved from responsibility of standing down in their next match.
