International Football Association Board approves new rule for time-wasting by goalkeepers

Goalies will have 8 seconds to hold ball or concede corner kick

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) announced Saturday that a new rule was approved for time-wasting by goalkeepers. The IFAB, after the 139th Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Belfast, Northern Ireland, unanimously decided to amend a law about indirect free kicks, which means if a goalkeeper holds the ball for longer than 8 seconds -- with the referee using a visual five-second countdown -- the referee will award a corner kick to the opposing team. The law previously stated that a goalkeeper has six seconds to release the ball before the opposing team is awarded an indirect free kick but it was rarely enforced by officials. Separately, there is a new addition to the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) protocol as there will be an option for the referee to make an announcement after a VAR review or lengthy VAR check. A statement also introduced a new set of guidelines to apply the principle of only the captain approaching the referee in specific situations. The IFAB also said they decided to proactively find competitions to conduct additional offside trials with the objectives of fostering attacking football and encouraging goal-scoring opportunities while maintaining the sport’s attractiveness.