A new rule aimed at reducing time-wasting will be introduced across world football from the 2025/26 season, with referees awarding corners instead of free kicks for goalkeepers who hold the ball for more than eight seconds.
The International Football Association Board (IFAB) made the change to Law 12.2 during their 139th annual meeting. Previously, goalkeepers who held onto the ball for more than six seconds were to be penalized with an indirect free kick inside their penalty area. However, this rule has not been consistently enforced in recent years, prompting IFAB to implement a more effective measure to combat time-wasting.
The new rule, set to take effect in July 2025, will apply to all FIFA Club World Cup matches and has already been trialed in youth divisions in England and Italy, as well as Malta’s top league. In over 400 matches where the rule was tested, only four corners were awarded, demonstrating the significant impact it had on curbing time-wasting.
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Referees will use a visual five-second countdown to signal to goalkeepers when they need to release the ball. The official will raise their arm and gradually lower it to their side, giving goalkeepers a clear warning.
This change is expected to be welcomed by fans who are frustrated by goalkeepers taking excessive time—sometimes up to 20 seconds—to release the ball in order to run down the clock. Liverpool manager Arne Slot, for example, was seen counting the seconds when Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno held onto the ball during a 2-2 draw earlier this season.
In addition to the new time-wasting rule, IFAB has introduced other amendments. Competitions can now choose to enforce a rule that only the team captain is allowed to speak to the referee, promoting fairness and mutual respect. Another major change allows competitions to announce VAR decisions to the crowd, a practice already implemented in the Carabao Cup semi-finals this season.