A goalkeeper holding the ball for more than eight seconds will be punished with a corner for the opposition from this summer.

Law 12.2 currently says goalkeepers can only hold onto the ball for six seconds but it has not been properly applied for years.

Referees will penalise goalkeepers who time-waste by awarding their opponents a corner in a radical change to the rules of football.

Goalkeepers will concede a corner if they hold onto the ball for more than eight seconds from next season in a significant change to the laws of football. Positive results in trials this season prompted the International Football Association Board (IFAB) to change the law for the start of the 2025-26 season,

The IFAB has introduced a new rule which will punish goalkeepers for timewasting as referees are instructed to use finger-counting action.