​If the objective is illicit, then Arsenal won’t be crowned English champions. Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp spoke after Germany had a goal disallowed in their World Cup clash with Paraguay. Jonathan Tah appeared to have given Germany a 2-1 advantage in extra time, but the video assistant referee intervened, ruling that Waldemar Anton had blocked the goalkeeper Orlando Gill. The tactic recalled one Arsenal employed last season, which produced a record 19 goals from corners as they clinched the Premier League title. “They’ve scored 60% of their goals that way,” Klopp joked, exaggerating for effect, but there is a clear shift in how referees are officiating corners at the World Cup.
Towards the close of last season, wrestling for position and players being dumped to the turf became increasingly common, with as many as 16 bodies crowded in the six-yard box to crowd the goalkeeper. BBC Sport has heard there was a sense among top referees that corner kicks had turned into a “fight scene” and that this was not real football. The World Cup hasn’t shown the same level of skullduggery, but what has FIFA done to address it, and could we see changes in the Premier League next season?
Pierluigi Collina, FIFA’s head of referees, laid out straightforward messages before the World Cup: for coaches, a focus on blocking and holding; for referees, strict enforcement. There would be zero tolerance for off-the-ball maneuvers intended to hinder an opponent from reaching the ball and thereby scoring. Holding would still occur—practice of contact can’t be eradicated from the sport—yet it should not be as extreme. Referees, for instance, have to stop corners to speak to players who are grappling.
Regarding goalkeepers, Collina seems to want an exclusion zone in the six-yard box. The VAR ruling disallowing Germany’s goal might have seemed lenient to Premier League viewers, but for Collina it epitomized the policy he has instilled in officials. Anton’s stance had forced the goalkeeper to collide with him, and the German deliberately blocked his movement. The German held his ground—a deliberate obstruction tactic. Spain also saw a disallowed goal in a similar fashion, with Pau Cubarsi penalised for a foul on Austria goalkeeper Alexander Schlager.
“At least they are consistent, but it’s the extreme opposite,” commented former Germany midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger on BBC One. “We watch the Premier League every week, and this is so different.” None of the goalkeepers protested. FIFA has shifted its stance, and any contact now favors the keeper.
Does this change the value of corners? The statistics suggest it might. In the Premier League last season, goals from corners averaged 0.49 per match—nearly one every two matches. This shift in enforcement could influence execution and outcomes at set pieces, potentially altering how teams approach corners and how referees adjudicate them in the coming seasons.