Goalkeeper time-wasting to be penalized under new regulation
What's the story
The International Football Association Board (IFAB) has approved a new rule penalizing goalkeepers for excessive time-wasting. Starting this summer, goalkeepers holding the ball for more than eight seconds will concede a corner to the opposition. The rule will debut at FIFA's Club World Cup in the USA. According to the BBC, Football Association of Wales CEO Noel Mooney noted that the previous six-second rule had "gradually faded over time" and expressed hope that the new regulation would help curb time-wasting.
Trial success
Successful trials pave way for new goalkeeper rule
The new rule has been successfully trialed in over 400 games across three competitions, including Premier League 2. In the news rule, referees will issue a five-second countdown warning before penalizing goalkeepers. FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafstrom said, "We had the test and the test was very successful." "The referees didn't have to signal for a corner [often]," he added, as quoted by BBC.
Offside trials
IFAB continues offside trials alongside new goalkeeper rule
Along with the new goalkeeper rule, IFAB has also decided to continue offside trials. In these trials, attackers are deemed onside if their torso is level with the second-to-last defender. Meanwhile, the decision was taken along with the approval of the new rule, which penalizes goalkeepers for holding onto the ball for too long.