FIFA's Corner Crackdown Won't Reach the Premier League
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Germany had a 2-1 extra-time goal against Paraguay disallowed when VAR ruled Waldemar Anton had blocked goalkeeper Orlando Gill, a decision Jurgen Klopp cited as reminiscent of Arsenal's corner-kick tactics that produced 19 goals last season.
- FIFA's Pierluigi Collina directed referees before the World Cup to enforce zero tolerance on blocking and holding during corners, expecting an exclusion zone around goalkeepers — a standard applied when Spain's Pau Cubarsi was also penalised for impeding Austria's Alexander Schlager.
- Corner goals averaged 0.49 per Premier League match last season, falling to 0.34 at this World Cup and 0.20 at Qatar 2022, per BBC analysis, reflecting the tighter officiating of set-pieces.
- FIFA has all 51 referees and 88 assistants based at a Miami camp, where semi-professional players rehearse specific national teams' set-piece routines — referees preparing for France vs Morocco ran drills mimicking the quarter-finalists' blocking patterns.
- Premier League referees will not adopt FIFA's hard-line approach, BBC Sport understands; goals disallowed at the World Cup would still stand in England's top flight despite a league promise of "enhanced recognition of clear holding actions."
- Only one VAR penalty has been awarded for holding at the tournament — by Premier League official Jarred Gillett in Croatia vs Portugal — leaving it unclear whether Collina's crackdown is being rigorously tested.
- Former Chelsea defender Cesar Azpilicueta told BBC One that England allows "more contact" and a middle-ground approach is needed, acknowledging that Premier League physicality makes wholesale adoption of FIFA's standard unrealistic.
Why it matters: Premier League clubs that invested heavily in set-piece coaching — Arsenal scored 19 corner goals en route to the title — retain a competitive edge FIFA has actively tried to discourage internationally. With the Premier League opting for softer enforcement to protect the game's physicality, the gap between club and international refereeing widens heading into next season.
