The likes of Alisson will only be able to hold a ball for eight seconds before a corner is given. (Image: Getty)
The is set to clamp down on timewasting next season with a new rule introduced to target goalkeepers. The International Football Association Board (IFAB) have reportedly approved a law change following trials held in the Premier League 2 division.
As it stands, keepers are not allowed to hold onto the ball for longer than six seconds, and the punishment is an indirect free kick from where they stood. However, that sanction is now set to change.
According to the IFAB has passed provisions to award a corner if the ball is held beyond eight seconds. The referee will also give a five-second countdown to warn players.
The trial was also used in Maltese football and in Italy, where a throw-in was awarded as opposed to a corner. Across more than 400 games, only three times was a keeper penalised for holding onto a ball longer than permitted.
Due to the trial’s success, the rule is set to be introduced in all professional competitions in England from July onwards. The IFAB has explained why they have changed both the six-second marker and the punishment.
The “authority stated that the award of a free-kick was “too great an advantage, as the chance of scoring is high, whereas they had no possibility of scoring when the offence occurred, as they did not have possession of the ball.”
Referees will give a visual countdown to keepers. (Image: Getty)
They also said that awarding an indirect free-kick in the area was: “often extremely difficult, especially if it is to be taken from 9.15m from the goal or closer when the defenders have to be on the goal line between the goalposts.”
As it stands, an indirect free-kick can still be awarded if a goalkeeper picks up a backpass. This rule was introduced in 1992 to prevent defenders from continuously passing the ball back to waste time.
The IFAB also insisted a clampdown was needed to prevent keepers from deliberately wasting time with the ball in hand. An outfield player cannot challenge for the ball if it is being held in two hands.
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“A goalkeeper holding the ball for too long is an unfair tactic,” they added. “Because the opposing team has no possibility to regain possession, as the goalkeeper cannot be challenged when in control of the ball.”
A keeper diving onto the floor unnecessarily to kill seconds late on has become commonplace in football. Taking too long at goal kicks has been another perceived problem, with referees able to dish out yellow cards for this offence.