The Football Association of Malawi (Fam) has said updated laws of the game will come into effect as the 2026 FDH Bank Premiership rolls into life this weekend.
This follows the review and approval of amendments to the Laws of the Game by the International Football Association Board (Ifab)-governing body, which sets and enforces football rules across the world.
Fam website announced Tuesday that match officials would implement the updated laws starting with the FDH Bank Premiership this weekend.
Notable changes of the laws include issues of throw-ins and goal kicks, substitutions and injuries.
The new laws state that when a throw-in or goal kick is deliberately delayed by the team taking a restart, the referee will whistle, signal and start a visible five-second count.
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In addition, the amended laws state that once a substitution has been signalled by the referee or displayed on the substitution board, the player being substituted must leave the field of play within 10 seconds.
On injuries, an outfield injured player who causes play to be stopped due to an actual or suspected injury, or who receives assessment or treatment on the field of play, must leave the pitch and remain off for one minute (running clock after play restarts).
In an interview Tuesday, Goshen City Dedza Dynamos General Secretary Mavuto Mugode welcomed the new laws.
“We need to move with time. The rest of the world is using new laws; so, we also need to follow the new laws of the game,” he said.
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Eagles Chief Administration Officer Muhammad Ali said the new laws would bring sanity to the game.
“The updated laws will bring professionalism. They will help to reduce stoppages in a game,” he said.
IFAB reviews and approves the updated laws of the game every year.
The four FDH Bank Premiership matches will mark the official matches to be played under the updated laws in domestic football history.
On the opening day of the league season, champions Mighty Wanderers will face Karonga United at Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre this coming Saturday whereas last year’s runners-up FCB Nyasa Big Bullets will meet Civil Service United at Civo Stadium in Lilongwe.
Four more matches will be played on the second day of the 2026 FDH Bank Premiership.
Masters FC will face Chitipa United at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe whereas Blue Eagles will meet Ekhaya at Nankhaka Stadium in the same city.
