The International Football Association Board (IFAB) has introduced new rules for football, including a significant change to goalkeepers' waiting time.
Article Key Points
At the 139th Annual General Meeting, held in Belfast, it was decided that the referee will award a corner kick and not an indirect free kick if the goalkeeper holds the ball for more than eight seconds, an increase from the current six seconds.
Furthermore, the IFAB announced that, in order to encourage attacking play, further tests will be conducted on the offside rule.
New rule against time wasters
The change regarding the goalkeeper responds to a problem frequently encountered in matches, where the goalkeeper, after a save, would hold onto the ball until the referee invited him to put it back into play.
Thanks to the new regulation, the referee will be able to show a five-second countdown to the goalkeeper, who will be forced to put the ball back into play within the established time.
If the goalkeeper does not respect the limit, a corner kick will be awarded to the opponents. This rule, originally planned as an experiment in the Primavera championship, now becomes official.
VAR Protocol Updates
Other new features include an update to the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) Protocol. Referees can now publicly announce a decision following a VAR review or extended review. New guidelines for match officials have also been outlined, particularly regarding the position of the assistant referee, who must be in line with the spot when a penalty is awarded.
Timing for implementation of new rules
The IFAB indicated that “in accordance with the applicable regulations that allow competitions starting before 1 July 2025 to implement the new rules early or delay their implementation until no later than the start of the next competition”, the new rules will come into force at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, which is scheduled to start on 14 June 2025.
Article published on March 2, 2025 - 13pm
The new goalkeeper rules seem to be a major change for soccer, but I'm not sure if it's fair to give a corner kick for 2 seconds extra. This could cause confusion among players and referees.