New rules setting out how long a goalkeeper can hold the ball will come into force since the beginning of next season, it has been announced.
The International Football Council (IFAB), manufacturers of the game laws, said the goalkeepers would now be punished to hold the ball for eight seconds or more.
Under the applicable rules, holders are supposed to be ratified if they maintain for more than six seconds, but the offense is rarely punished.
The punishment for such an offense is currently an indirect free kick, but this will change in an angle in accordance with the new laws, which come into force on 1 July 2025.
IFAB also said the referees would apply a five -second measurement to their hands before it awarded the corner.
IFAB faces the goal of the goalkeeper. https://t.co/jeei0s1cfo
Watch now https://t.co/1ml2gsdcsi: Press Conference after the 139th Annual General Assembly pic.twitter.com/z0d8bmlwtw
– Ifab (@Theifab) March 1 2025
A statement from IFAB, following the annual General Assembly, said: “After tests have shown a significant positive impact where goalkeepers have been holding for a long time, IFAB has unanimously decided to modify Law 12.2 (indirect free kick).
“The amendment means that if a goalkeeper holds the ball for more than eight seconds (with the referee using a five -second visual countdown), the referee will award a corner kick to the opposing team (and not more indirectly).
A test that allows holders to keep for eight seconds has already been activated in several competitions this season, including the Premier League 2.
