The International Football Association Board, IFAB, the governing body responsible for determining the Laws of the Game in football, has agreed to implement a new regulation to address concerns over time-wasting in football among goalkeepers.
This change comes as part of ongoing efforts to improve the flow of the game and ensure fair play during football matches.
Goalkeepers have long employed various tactics to waste time, slowing down the game to their team’s advantage.
Goalkeepers often use time-wasting tactics to manage the game clock, especially when their team is winning or aiming to secure a favourable result. Other times they use different strategies to slow down the game, especially when their team is ahead or trying to maintain a crucial advantage.
A common tactic is holding onto the ball beyond the permitted six seconds, a rule that referees rarely enforce, allowing goalkeepers to delay play.
Another frequent delay tactic occurs during goal kicks, where a goalkeeper may take excessive time to set up the ball, repeatedly adjust its position, or even pretend to fix an issue before finally taking the kick.
Similarly, some goalkeepers feign injury after minimal contact, staying on the ground for extended periods to eat up valuable seconds.
Delaying play restarts is another widely used strategy. Keepers may walk slowly to retrieve the ball for a goal kick or throw, deliberately dragging out the process.
In some cases, they even switch sides for goal kicks, unnecessarily moving the ball from one end of the goal area to the other to buy additional time.
Some shot-stoppers waste time by engaging in unnecessary discussions with referees or teammates, while others exaggerate routine saves by staying on the ground longer than needed before releasing the ball.
New IFAB rule for goalkeepers
From the 2025/26 season, goalkeepers can hold the ball for up to eight seconds. Exceeding this will give the opposing team a corner kick.
Referees will assist goalkeepers by providing a visual five-second countdown during the final seconds.
This regulation replaces the previous six-second restriction, which was seldom enforced and resulted in an indirect free kick for violations.
Fans’ reactions to the new rule
The new IFAB rule on goalkeeper time-wasting has sparked a mixed reaction among football fans. Many supporters welcome the change, believing it will speed up the game and prevent goalkeepers from exploiting the previous six-second rule, which was rarely enforced.
TUKO.co.ke previously reported on the excitement among Arsenal fans regarding the proposed rule change, which aims to penalize time-wasting goalkeepers by awarding a corner kick to the opposing team.
Many supporters believed this rule would benefit attacking teams like Arsenal by maintaining game tempo and reducing unnecessary stoppages.
