The report cites England’s 1-1 friendly with Uruguay as an example of the newly targeted offence. It says Ben White scored after Adam Wharton moved into Jose Maria Gimenez’s path, preventing the defender from marking his opponent.
“O incidente em Wembley foi muito sério. A bola não estava em jogo e houve uma falta clara cometida por um bloqueio ilegal contra o defensor,” Collina reportedly said.
The distinction will matter. Set pieces are built around movement, screens and carefully timed runs, but referees will now be under pressure to separate legitimate attempts to win space from deliberate obstruction before the ball is in play.
The reported changes extend well beyond corner routines:
The rules also reportedly give referees greater authority over players who cover their mouths or leave the field in protest.
For England’s coaching staff, the challenge is not simply abandoning a successful routine. Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka and White may still be central to set-piece plans, but their movement will need to be cleaner and easier for officials to interpret.
The first corner against Croatia could therefore become an early test of the new standard. If enforcement is as firm as Collina’s comments suggest, England’s best routines may depend less on creating chaos and more on perfecting legal separation.