BELFAST: Fans were handed a reason to a countdown chorus after the law-making International Football Association decided here that goalkeepers will concede a corner if they hold onto the ball for more than eight seconds from next season.

Positive results in trials this season prompted IFAB to change the law for the start of the 2025-26 season, replacing the current law where goalkeepers are supposed to concede an indirect free-kick if they hold on for more than six seconds.

There has been a recognition that referees were hardly ever enforcing the six-second rule, in part because an indirect free-kick seemed too harsh a sanction, as well as the difficulties and the time required to set an indirect free-kick. The eight-second rule has been trialled in Premier League 2 this season, plus competitions in Malta and Italy.

IFAB said there had only been four instances where goalkeepers have been penalised in hundreds of trial matches, even with the rule being strictly applied on all but one occasion, which suggests goalkeepers do see the threat of conceding a corner as a significant deterrent.

Keepers will have no excuse for being unaware of the time limit either, with referees instructed to count down the final five seconds on a raised hand.

FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafstrom said his organisation intended to use the new law for its inaugural 32-team Club World Cup in the United States from June 15 to July 13.

Patrick Nelson, ceo of the Irish Football Association, told a media briefing: “You can see it has a significant impact on goalkeeper behaviour.” Referees’ failure the current rule “to enforce it, “had been a bane of many people’s lives for quite some time.”

Consideration may be given by the IFAB in the future to also awarding corners where goalkeepers take too long over dead ball goal kicks.

IFAB has also agreed to continue and expand trials of the so-called ‘daylight rule’ for offsides.

The law change has been championed by former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger who believes it encourages attacking play, but trials were hampered initially by the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

IFAB statement

The International Football Association Board (The IFAB) has approved a number of changes to the Laws of the Game for 2025/26.

After trials have shown a major positive impact where goalkeepers have been holding onto the ball for too long, The IFAB has unanimously decided to amend Law 12.2 (Indirect free kick). The amendment means that if a goalkeeper holds the ball for longer than eight seconds (with the referee using a visual five-second countdown), the referee will award a corner kick to the opposing team (rather than the current indirect free kick for more than six seconds).

The following decisions were also taken at the 139th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of The IFAB, hosted by the Irish Football Association (IFA) in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

In relation to Law 3.10 (Team captain), guidelines have been introduced into the Laws for any competitions wishing to apply the principle of only the captain approaching the referee in specific situations, which was successfully implemented in a number of competitions last year. The IFAB agreed that stronger cooperation and communication between captains and referees, who often face verbal and/or physical dissent when making decisions, can help instil higher levels of fairness and mutual respect, both of which are core values of the game. The AGM participants emphasised that competition organisers, players and match officials should work collaboratively to adhere to these guidelines.

Furthermore, the next edition of the Laws of the Game, which will come into effect on 1 July 2025, will feature the following amendments:

• Law 8.2 (Dropped ball): If the ball is outside the penalty area when play is stopped, it is dropped for the team that had or would have gained possession if this is clear to the referee; otherwise, it is dropped for the team that last touched it. The ball is dropped at its position when play was stopped.
• Law 9.2 (Ball in play): An indirect free kick with no disciplinary sanction will be awarded if a team official, substitute, substituted or sent-off player or player who is temporarily off the field of play touches the ball as it is leaving the field of play and there was no intention to interfere unfairly.
• Video assistant referee (VAR) protocol: Competitions now have the option for the referee to make an announcement after a VAR review or lengthy VAR check.
• Practical guidelines for match officials: As the VAR can monitor goal/no goal decisions and goalkeeper encroachment, the assistant referee should be positioned in line with the penalty mark, which is the offside line.

In accordance with the applicable regulations that allow competitions starting before 1 July 2025 to implement the new Laws earlier or to delay their implementation until no later than the start of the next competition, these changes will be in force at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™, which kicks off on 14 June 2025.

Following positive feedback from competitions in which referees were permitted to wear body cameras in a limited number of top-level matches so that the footage could be deployed for training and education purposes, The IFAB supported FIFA’s undertaking to test body cameras worn by match officials in FIFA competitions to identify possible future use and develop quality and safety standards. FIFA confirmed its intention to implement body cameras at the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup as part of the live match transmission. 

It was agreed that the successful use of body cameras worn by referees at grassroots level in England should be further tested and promoted given its positive impact on player behaviour. 

The IFAB also decided to pro-actively find competitions to conduct additional offside trials with the objectives of fostering attacking football and encouraging goal-scoring opportunities while maintaining the sport’s attractiveness. FIFA will make such trials at some upcoming FIFA competitions.

FIFA also informed The IFAB about the trial with Football Video Support, a cost-effective system that requires a very small number of cameras and was successfully tested at several FIFA competitions in 2024. Given the positive results to date, it was agreed to extend the trials to more competitions.

In addition, information was presented on the ongoing trials aimed at improving participant behaviour, while FIFA provided an update on its ’Suspect and Protect’ concussion-awareness campaign, which is now into its latest phase of expansion, with more FIFA Member Associations from all confederations becoming engaged in information sessions designed to support the campaign’s roll-out locally.

The meeting, chaired by the IFA, was also attended by representatives from FIFA, The FA, the Scottish FA, the FA of Wales and The IFAB administration.

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