Daniel Farke said the quiet part out loud back in November. After Gianluigi Donnarumma went to ground in the second half of City's 3-2 win over Leeds — right at the moment Pep Guardiola needed a word with his players — Farke told reporters: "Why he went down is obvious. It is within the rules. It is smart." He stopped short of demanding change. "It is up to the authorities to find a solution," he said.
The authorities found one.
From next month, any time a referee allows a physio to treat a goalkeeper in the Premier League, WSL, EFL, FA competitions, or the National League, that team's manager must nominate an outfield player to leave the pitch for one minute. The International Football Association Board (IFAB) has approved the trial, and English football is moving on it immediately.
How it works — and where it can't be abused
The manager gets 10 seconds to tell the fourth official which player is coming off. Miss that window, and the captain goes. No negotiation.
The logic is straightforward. Outfield players treated on the pitch already have to leave for a minute — it's why we don't see centre-backs suddenly developing cramps every time the opposition builds momentum. Goalkeepers were the one position exempt from that dynamic, which created an obvious loophole. A keeper could sit on the turf, get a full tactical briefing from the physio acting as messenger, while half the squad jogged to the touchline for drinks and instructions. All perfectly legal. All completely cynical.
There are exceptions. If the goalkeeper was fouled, collided with another player, or there's any suspicion of serious injury — concussion included — no outfield player goes off. The rule is designed to punish simulation, not punish genuine harm.
English football chose the nominated-player version over the alternative approved by IFAB, which would automatically remove the captain. Australia's A-League will test that version instead. Pro Ref (formerly PGMOL) worked through both options with the FA and the leagues before settling on giving managers the choice — which at least keeps a small tactical element in play.
What this means in practice
The deterrent only really bites late in tight games — which is exactly when the tactic gets deployed. Sitting a minute down to 10 men while protecting a lead, or chasing one, is a genuine cost. That's the point.
Whether it changes behaviour immediately is another question. Managers will still weigh the calculus — a minute of 10-vs-11 versus buying 90 seconds and a full reset. In some situations, they'll still take that trade. But the calculation just got a lot less one-sided.
If the trials work, IFAB expects to write the measure into the laws of the game for the 2027-28 season. For now it's a trial, and English football is the main testing ground. The betting markets haven't priced in what this does to late-game dynamics yet — but slow-tempo sides who've leaned on this tactic as a pressure valve just lost one of their quietest tools.
Farke asked for a solution. Here it is.
