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SirNorbertClarke
02 Mar 25 08:10
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Date Joined: 11 Aug 21
| Topic/replies: 18,400 | Blogger: SirNorbertClarke's blog
Ifab announces law change for next season
‘It could be one of those very effective deterrents’


Goalkeepers who waste time by holding on to the ball are to be penalised with the award of a corner, the law-making International Football Association Board (Ifab) has confirmed.

The new law, which will be introduced this summer, will mean goalkeepers have eight seconds to claim and redistribute the ball before they are penalised, with the referee giving a five-second countdown to warn them of incoming punishment. This will replace the current system whereby a keeper has six seconds to move the ball on and is punished with an indirect free-kick if they do not.

“Goalkeepers holding on to the ball for too long have been a bane of many people’s lives for quite some time, so some action has been taken,” said Patrick Nelson, the chief executive of the Irish FA, who chaired Ifab’s AGM in Belfast on Saturday. “The results of the trials have been very, very positive, so we’re going to move forward and put that into the laws of the game as soon as possible.”

Ifab is to implement the change following trials at more than 400 matches, including in the academy competition Premier League 2, after a sense the previous law was not being properly enforced. Officials see the change as potentially revolutionary, as it will be the first time an infringement in live play will be punished by something other than a free-kick or penalty.

David Elleray, the former Premier League referee and now Ifab’s technical director, cited Brighton’s victory at Manchester United last season as an example; whereas the United keeper held on to the ball for an average of 4.8sec, the Brighton goalkeeper’s average was 14.8sec.

“Good law changes are where you have a very strong deterrent which everybody implements and then the problem effectively disappears,” he said. “If it speeds up the game, if it’s more positive, it means that it could be one of those very effective deterrents.”

A new approach to time-wasting was just one of several incremental but potentially transformative developments that were announced. Another is confirmation that trials of a new approach to offside are to continue, with the possibility that the law ends up finding an attacking player onside if any part of their torso is in line with a defending player.

Currently a player is offside if any body part that can legally score a goal is in advance of a defender. Current trials, championed by Fifa’s chief of global development, Arsène Wenger, are flipping that approach and finding attackers onside if any part of their body is in line with a defender. But moving the line back, to where the player’s torso is in line, is gaining favour among lawmakers, with the rationale that not only would it be a more balanced cut off point, but that the torso is easier to capture using tracking software, potentially allowing for quicker decisions.

A further change is a rule to allow referees to wear body cameras in Fifa competitions. Already successfully trialled at grassroots level in England, with the aim of pushing back against player abuse of officials, the system will be tried at the Club World Cup this summer.

The expectation is that the technology can aid not only referees but television viewers, with footage used as part of coverage to provide new angles on in-game incidents.

“The bodycam for referees is to be tested at the Club World Cup in order to provide additional footage, which can then also increase the quality of the production and be of interest,” said Mattias Grafström, the secretary general of Fifa.

“Maybe it’s more in the replays where we will provide it. But we certainly feel this adds something to the TV viewer experience.”

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Report Emitdeb March 2, 2025 11:36 AM GMT
Genius idea! imo.
Report brentford March 2, 2025 11:45 AM GMT
If they'd been enforcing the current one it was largely already solved..

the Brighton goalkeeper’s average was 14.8sec.

I mean that's ridiculous levels of not enforcing a regulation..
Report SirNorbertClarke March 2, 2025 12:32 PM GMT
I wonder if it will lead to an increase of goalkeepers feigning minor injuries.

Then there's always the 20+ second goal kicks.
Report mecca March 2, 2025 12:35 PM GMT
Good idea.... not sure if all the refs are capable of counting up to 8, though
Report SirNorbertClarke March 2, 2025 12:40 PM GMT
In tennis they have a countdown clock
Report Aspro March 2, 2025 12:55 PM GMT
A separate time-keeper would deal with the goal kicks; no longer a problem. I'd be happy to see that and it would cure subs walking off slowly, throw-ins the lot! Could even make it stop as soon as the keeper is in possession until the ball is in play again. One change could cure so many issues.
Report SirNorbertClarke March 2, 2025 2:25 PM GMT
regularly teams - Arsenal - take a full minute to get organised for and take a corner.
Report Whisperingdeath March 2, 2025 5:42 PM GMT
Yeah have to agree with everyone. Enforce existing rules but hopefully this will help.

Another thing that does my swede is when  defender found on the edge of the box and stands in front of the ball to prevent a quick free kick. This allows the defending team to stop the advantage, build a wall etc.

Defenders should immediately retreat 10m or be booked and advance the free kick 10m. If they do it in the box it should be a penalty. Simple rule change which may not stop the cynical foul but at least not penalise the victim of foul play.
Report madhatter March 3, 2025 10:19 AM GMT
I'v alway felt that, when a free kick is awarded, the kick should be advanced 5 metres for players not retreating and, particularly, for players adopting an aggressive attitude towards the referee.

It would only take a few games for players to learn that lesson because if they didn't then their manager wouldn't pick them to play!
Report madhatter March 3, 2025 10:23 AM GMT
Steve Bruce would never have got a game with changing his attitude but I bet he would have reined it in if that rule was there when he played! HappyGrinLaugh
Report madhatter March 3, 2025 10:23 AM GMT
..without...
Report madhatter March 3, 2025 10:28 AM GMT
I can see him, arguing like feck that his team should have had a penalty...and probably still arguing after he had conceded about 50 metres of ground in one go bacause he just couldn't stop himself.
But even he would eventually learn to keep his mouth shut...maybe.
Report DIE LINKE March 3, 2025 12:02 PM GMT
Dutch girls must be punished for having big boobs.
Report duffy March 3, 2025 5:06 PM GMT
You'll get a couple penalized early doors then it will fade away, just like the current rule and the one about a penalty being awarded for tugging of shirts at corners was supposed to stamp tat out that out or all the added time we were supposed to get at the end of games to make up for time wasting, remember in the early days of that we got 8, 9, 10 minutes added on as a matter of course....not any more we don't.

All BS I'm afraid.
Report duffy March 3, 2025 5:17 PM GMT
It's also going to be a massive grey area, when does the 8 second clock start, a goalkeeper as just dived and caught the ball and is lying on the ground but in control of the ball, does the clock start immediately or does he have to get to his feet first, how long does he have to get to his feet?

The trick that they currently do and is annoying is when they turn a routine catch into an apparent save and drop to the floor any attempt to get rid of that is welcomed, just very hard to implement.

What we will also see, as we do with VAR is situations where comparisons will be made between instances where one keeper got 9.1 seconds and another got 8.1 seconds to get rid, as it is subjective when the clock starts it is guaranteed to create controversy and ultimately fail.
Report unitedbiscuits March 3, 2025 5:35 PM GMT
That's England's strategy of winning anything for the next 59 years f***ed then.
Report ----you-have-to-laugh--- March 3, 2025 6:20 PM GMT
Ref is to raise hand after 3 seconds to initiate a 5 second countdown.

So no doubt about 8 seconds, unless they forget.



Far bigger issue with goal kicks and goalies feigning injuries to delay restart.
Report duffy March 4, 2025 3:58 PM GMT
Yes but when does the ref decide the clock starts, as I said, keeper just made a save and is lying on the floor with the ball, does it start then or when he gets up and how long does he get to get up, I'd imagine the refs are thinking toward whoever brought this in, "what another fine mess you've got me into" couldn't be greyer if you tried IMO.
Report ----you-have-to-laugh--- March 4, 2025 4:14 PM GMT
Starts when ref says it does... And seemingly they were reluctant
to sanction slow play with indirect free kick, so this has been
carefully planned to allow them a lesser sanction, which hopefully
sees play speed up.

No doubt ref raising arm will lead to crowd countdown 5-4-3-2-1... Corner.. Lol
Report ----you-have-to-laugh--- March 4, 2025 4:16 PM GMT
Allowing them 3 seconds after recovery, or from drop ball, before
commencing countdown.
Report duffy March 4, 2025 5:34 PM GMT
Sounds an absolute farce incoming.
Report ----you-have-to-laugh--- March 4, 2025 5:51 PM GMT
Hopefully raising arm will trigger the kick

Rather as referee in rugby saying "use it" gives 5 seconds
to play the ball from a ruck.
Report duffy March 16, 2025 3:05 PM GMT
What about 8 seconds for wasting time over a free kick?
What about 8 seconds for wasting time over a corner?
What about 8 seconds for wasting time over a throw in?
What about 8 seconds for wasting time restarting a goal kick when the ball goes behind?
Report john42 March 22, 2025 10:10 AM GMT
Without a much bigger problem is goal kicks, happens much more than when they pick it up
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