The International Football Association Board (IFAB), have unanimously approved a new law to curb time-wasting by goalkeepers.

Under the new law, goalkeepers will only be able to hold the ball for eight seconds.

Any goalkeeper that hold the ball for more than eight seconds will be punished with a corner for the opposition, starting this summer.

The new law was unanimously approved during IFAB annual general meeting in Northern Ireland on Saturday, and will be in place at FIFA’s Club World Cup, which takes place in the USA from 15 June to 13 July.

“We had the test and the test was very successful. The referees didn’t have to signal for a corner (often),” Mattias Grafstrom, FIFA secretary general said.

The IFAB also voted to continue offside trials in which the attacker will be ruled onside if his torso is level with the second to last defender.

Under the current law keepers should be punished if they hold the ball for more than six seconds, with the opposition being awarded an indirect free-kick.

But Noel Mooney, the CEO of the Football Association of Wales (FAW) said implementation of the six-second rule had “dissolved over time” and it is hoped that the new law will lead to a reduction in time wasting.

Already trialled in over 400 games in three different competitions, including the Premier League 2, referees will also warn the goalkeepers with a five-second countdown before they are penalised

[BusinessDay]