The International Football Association Board has announced changes to the laws of football, one of which could be quite revolutionary.
Under the new regulations, if the goalkeeper holds the ball for more than eight seconds, the referee will award a corner kick to the opposing team. This change in the law will be tested during the 2025 Club World Cup.
The previous law stipulated that the goalkeeper was allowed to hold the ball for six seconds, and if he was late, an indirect free kick was awarded from inside the penalty area, but in practice referees rarely punished goalkeepers for being late in this way.
At the annual general meeting held in Belfast, the board announced several other changes to the laws that will be implemented next season, including a change to Article 3.10 regarding team captains.
The Board also decided to proactively seek competitions to conduct additional offside trials with the aim of enhancing attacking football and encouraging goal-scoring opportunities.
In order to facilitate a smooth transition to the new law, the Board confirmed that the changes will be implemented starting with the 2025 Club World Cup, which will be held in the United States from June 14 to July 13.
