
<p>Newly re-elected UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin spoke publicly on a plethora of topics after his election on Wednesday. This included the failed European Super League and other nations being jealous of the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/premier-league-tv-schedule/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Premier League</a>. However, the UEFA boss also hinted at changes to the handball rule.</p>



<h5>Ceferin voices concerns over recent rule tweaks</h5>



<p>Speaking with Slovenian newspaper <em>Ekipe SN</em>, Ceferin admitted that he doesn’t fully grasp the current handball rules. </p>



<p>“How do you make yourself smaller if you fall to the ground or if you jump in the air,” <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2023/04/05/uefa-president-aleksander-ceferin-premier-league-jealous/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">asked</a> Ceferin. “The hands are where they are, you can’t always press them to the body. I absolutely do not understand the current handball rules and something must be done in this area.”</p>



<p>The boss of Europe’s governing body of the sport also announced the formation of a new committee to tackle the issue. </p>



<p>“At the end of April, we will form a special group, which will be led by Zvonimir Boban, and we want to have all the greatest coaches and former football players in it,” Ceferin continued. “One of the priority topics will be handball. The law says that [it is handball] if the player has made himself bigger, but what should he do?”</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Chelsea have the ball in the back of the net again BUT this time it&apos;s disallowed due to a handball.<br><br>📺: <a href="https://twitter.com/peacock?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@peacock</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MyPLMorning?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MyPLMorning</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CHELIV?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CHELIV</a> <a href="https://t.co/0BVubSIhjU">pic.twitter.com/0BVubSIhjU</a></p>— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCSportsSoccer/status/1643346246776528897?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 4, 2023</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<h2>UEFA boss called Infantino last week about handball law</h2>



<p>The International Football Association Board (IFAB) handles current rules and interpretations. However, Ceferin will create the new group to help grasp a better understanding on the handball laws. Ceferin even admitted to contacting FIFA president Gianni Infantino about possible changes or clarifications on the rule. He also <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/fifa-asked-to-review-controversial-handball-rule-uefa-confirm-20201105-CMS-315964.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">previously</a> spoke to the FIFA boss about the issue in 2020.</p>



<p>“I also spoke with Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, last week about the fact that we all need to do something about this together,” Ceferin <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2023/04/05/uefa-president-aleksander-ceferin-premier-league-jealous/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">added</a>. “Nothing is clear to anyone anymore, which is very bad for football, because football by definition is very understandable and very clear.”</p>



<p>Tweaks to the handball rule in recent years has left many fans confused and outraged. A more universally defined law on the infraction would most likely be welcomed by many in the sport.</p>



<p><em>PHOTO: IMAGO / Pro Sports Images</em></p>


UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has announced plans to form a new group to help tackle the confusing handball law

UEFA wants handball law changed to reduce confusion - World Soccer Talk

UEFA wants handball law changed to reduce confusion


<p>The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has announced a revamping of its club competitions. This takes effect starting in the 2024/25 campaign.</p>



<p>The current two-competition structure with the AFC Champions League and AFC Cup will be transformed into a three-tier system. The number of teams participating in the three competitions, 76, does not change. Yet, the competition format is a complete overhaul. Eventually, the total number of games increases from 274 to 287.</p>



<h2>AFC club competitions see change from top to bottom</h2>



<p>The still-unnamed <a href="https:\/\/www.the-afc.com/en/more/afc_news/news/afc%E2%80%99s_club_competitions_set_for_strategic_reforms.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">replacement to the current Champions League</a> sees 24 teams split into two “leagues” – East &amp; West. The 12 teams in each league play a total of eight matches. Four are at home, and four are away, against eight different opponents. The top eight teams from each league advance to the Round of 16. </p>



<p>Following the Round of 16, the Quarterfinals, Semifinals &amp; Final follow a traditional tournament style in a single country. The elimination of the common ‘Group Stage’ borrows from the UEFA Champions League which will go to a single-league format during the same 2024/25 season.</p>



<h5>SECOnd/THIRd Tier Competitions and Other Changes</h5>



<p>The second&nbsp;tier of the competition saves the traditional ‘Group Stage’ format. Thirty-two teams compete in eight groups of four. Similar to the World Cup or modern UEFA Champions League, the top two teams advance from each group to a knockout stage of 16 teams. All knockout round ties will be played in a home/away format. Then, the final is a single event. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The AFC Competitions Committee has recommended game-changing reforms to herald a new era of success and unrivalled progress.</p>— AFC (@theafcdotcom) <a href="https:\/\/twitter.com/theafcdotcom/status/1606214227873927168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 23, 2022</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https:\/\/platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<p>The third&nbsp;tier has 20 teams divided into 5 Groups. There will be no home/away matches in the Group Stage. Rather, there are single matches in a centralized location. The top eight teams from the five groups punch a ticket to the quarterfinals. The last eight and last four of the competition have traditional home and away ties. The final is just one game. </p>



<h2>More changes to the AFC club competitions</h2>



<p>A major change for the AFC club competitions is the relegation between leagues. Teams losing in the preliminary and playoff rounds move down a tier to remain active in other competitions. It is similar to when a team loses in the UEFA Champions League playoff round, only to bump into the <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/europa-league-tv-schedule/">Europa League</a> group stage. </p>



<p>The final change anticipated for the 2024/25 is the lifting of foreign players rules. Currently, clubs must adhere to a ‘5+1’ rule on foreign players. Essentially, there are five foreign players from any confederation plus one from another AFC country. The ‘5+1’ rule was only introduced this year which replaced a long-standing ‘3+1’ rule. Starting in 2024, any limits on foreign players will be determined by each nations domestic regulations. In many cases, this will mean no limits on foreign players.</p>



<h5>US TV RightS TO AFC club competitions</h5>



<p>The current rightholders to AFC competitions is <a href="https:\/\/paramountplus.qflm.net/c/330866/1007330/3065" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CBS/Paramount+</a>. The current rights expire at the end of the 2023/24 season. Therefore, the major changes to the competitions begin with whoever owns the rights <em>after </em>the current CBS/Paramount+ deal expires. Time zone differences with the United States tend to negatively affect the value of said rights. Still, CBS and other other bidders could find themselves in a battle to grab the rights. </p>



<p>The <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/category/world-cup-2022/">Qatar World Cup</a> has raised the profile of many players that feature in these competitions. Whenever the rights hit the market (expected in the second half of 2023), look for CBS to have some competition from Apple, Amazon and perhaps even ESPN.</p>



<p><em>PHOTO: IMAGO / Arnulf Hettrich</em></p>


AFC club competitions are undergoing severe overhaul in a few seasons, as they resemble a more modern take on continental club action.

Asian Football Confederation to overhaul AFC club competitions

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ALL POSTS TAGGED "changes"

FIFA

UEFA wants handball law changed to reduce confusion

AFC

Asian Football Confederation to overhaul AFC club competitions