The rule on goalkeepers holding the ball is set to be changed to make it more enforceable next season, according to a statement from The International Football Association Board.
The IFAB have confirmed that after very positive trials, they’ve unanimously decided to amend the rules surrounding goalkeeper timewasting for the 2025/26 season.
Previously, the rule was that the goalkeeper could only hold the ball for six seconds, and an indirect free-kick would be awarded to the opposition if they overstepped that limit.
The issue was that the punishment seemed far too harsh, so the referees never enforced the rule.
Goalkeeper timewasting simply isn’t punished in today’s game. Some goalkeepers hold the ball for 15 seconds or more on a regular basis and nothing comes of it.
The new rule will allow the goalkeepers eight seconds to hold the ball, with the referee using a visual five-second countdown. If the goalkeeper fails to release the ball at the end of that countdown, the referee will award a corner kick to the opposition.
By giving the goalkeepers slightly more time to hold the ball, and by changing the punishment to a corner, the rule feels a lot fairer.
On top of that, the visual countdown will make it feel less like the punishment has come out of the blue. If you watch the referee count down from five and you still fail to release the ball, you can hardly complain that you’re being punished for it.
But as with all rule changes, implementation is key. It’s all well and good telling everyone you’re cracking down on delaying the restart, but you can’t just send off two Arsenal players and then forget the rule exists for most of the remainder of the season.
If this rule is implemented reliably and consistently, it should make for a better game.
If the referees fail to make the countdown on most occasions, and then suddenly do so at random moments, it will only provoke fan anger.