Dibu Martínez will no longer be able to say “look what I eat” to the rivals before penalties. He will not be able to tell them that he knows them or that he has studied them or dance after containing a shot. It is that the psychological challenge that the Argentine goalkeeper carried out in the Copa América and in the World Cup to the different players he faced in the penalty shootouts will no longer be allowed, according to the new rules that FIFA will implement from the suggestion promoted by the International Football Association Board (IFAB), the body in charge of interpreting the rules of the game.
He trash talk and the psychological methods that Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez used both against the Netherlands in the quarterfinals and against France in the definition of the Qatar 2022 World Cup did not go unnoticed. For this reason, the IFAB put into study a rule that was quickly defined in the planet’s media as “Anti Dibu Martínez”, which will change the actions of the goalkeepers at the time of the execution of a penalty.
Rule 14, which refers to criminal procedure, underwent a significant variant in its text. “The goalkeeper must remain on his own goal line, between the two goal posts and in front of the kicker until the ball is hit. The goalkeeper will not behave in such a way as to distract the kicker in an illegal manner, he will not delay the execution of the penalty or touch the posts, the crossbar or the net of the goal”, now maintains the regulations.
At another point he delves into certain situations. “It is clarified that, with his conduct, the goalkeeper will not disrespect football or the opponent, for example by distracting the kicker in an unregulated manner,” they explained from the IFAB when seeking to clarify the new situation.
In this way, now a goalkeeper will not be able to throw the ball away from the kicker before taking charge of the maximum penalty, approaching to speak or delaying the execution when talking with the main referee or the rival. Neither may they touch the posts, the crossbar or the goal net as a form of distraction for the performer.
“Dibu” Martínez caused a stir in the 2021 Copa América, when the Argentine goalkeeper was key in a penalty shootout against Colombia. In that series he contained three shots, at which time his phrase “Look what I eat, brother” before the Colombian soccer player Yerry Mina went viral. Later, he repeated the actions in the World Cup that Argentina finally won with the man from Mar del Plata as a figure. Andrew Redmayne’s behavior also had an influence in the clash in which Australia won their ticket to the World Cup against Peru, when he danced and put on a show at home one of the shots taken by the South Americans.
Last month, after the impending rule change came to light, Martínez made it clear that he no longer cares what the authorities say: “I always said that after the Copa América, I don’t know if I would do it again. I already saved the penalties that I had to save. And now the same thing happened to me, I don’t know if I’m going to save a penalty again 20 years from now, maybe not, but the ones that I had to save in the Copa América and in the World Cup I was able to stop them and help the team win, with that it’s enough for me”.
The International Football Association Board also announced other modifications, such as the entry of unauthorized persons onto the pitch during a goal, that the duration of the celebrations will become an extra factor to consider when adding game minutes, that in The offside will differentiate the voluntary and involuntary deviations of the defenders, in addition to a variant within the VAR protocol so that the referees explain the reasons why they change a possible ruling.
The IFAB and FIFA officially announced the main changes that arose from the meeting led by Debbie Hewitt, president of the English Federation, and which was attended by Gianni Infantino, head of the entity that governs football worldwide, from for the 2023/24 season and will come into effect from July 1st.