Overview
- Tournament organisers began applying the two experimental laws at Gulf Cup 27 in Jeddah, where eight national teams are playing group-stage matches between 23 September and 6 October.
- The first test lets a coach name a substitute to leave the field for one minute if a referee deems a goalkeeper has faked injury, with the captain ordered off if no choice is made.
- The second test treats goals scored after an attacker pushes a defender on a set-piece as invalid and requires a retake of the dead-ball situation instead of awarding a foul to the defender.
- Yemen is competing under Algerian coach Nourdine Ould Ali, who arrived early with the squad to draw support from the local diaspora and to shield players from the stresses of the ongoing war back home.
- UAE domestic football saw shock results in President’s Cup preliminaries, including the elimination of Gulf United coached by Andrés Iniesta, a development that highlights shifting fortunes in regional club competition.