It wasn't long after Real Madrid's squad and coaching staff had arrived at their hotel in Abu Dhabi for the Club World Cup when they received a talk informing them about the latest rules changes for the tournament by FIFA instructor Oscar Julián Ruiz.

New sanctions from Club World Cup

The former Colombian referee was given the responsibility of updating the favourites for the competition, which took place in one of the large meeting rooms of the club's base, the Four Seasons. With the help of video footage, a number of new aspects were explained to the players including that a substituted player will be able to leave the field of play at the closest point (rather than the customary walk or jog over to the half-way line). As well as that, opposition players will now not have to wait until the ball from a goal kick or free kick inside the penalty area leaves the box before attempting to play it.

Another modification is that infringements by the technical teams in the dugout will be able to be dealt with by cards (in the same way as players) rather than just verbal warnings.

The change that is likely to have Santiago Solari most concerned, however, is the one regarding knock-on sanctions to his players. If Real Madrid overcome Kashima Antlers in the semi-final then they will play in the final, potentially against River Plate, who booked their place with that controversial match at the Santiago Bernabéu. If, in their final game of the Club World Cup, a Madrid player is sent off then they will be suspended from the next UEFA competition match, namely the first-leg of the Champions League round of 16. As was decided on Monday morning, that will be against Ajax in Amsterdam.

Follow the second Club World Cup semi-final live: Kashima Antlers v Real Madrid