New Rules For Goalkeepers, Who Benefits?

The goalkeeper is only allowed to hold the ball for six seconds. Beyond that, the referee will call a foul. An indirect corner kick is awarded to the opposing team. However, it is common knowledge that goalkeepers often hold the ball for far longer than the regulations allow and are not penalized at all.

“We are used to seeing that in Serie A and other big leagues, when the goalkeeper holds the ball for 20 seconds or even more,” said Pierluigi Collina, a legendary former referee who is now the chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, as quoted by The Athletic.

Collina is the highest standard in the world of refereeing, akin to Lionel Messi for football players. He is known for his firmness, always appearing intimidating with his piercing gaze. Interestingly, during his 18 years as a referee, Collina never penalized a goalkeeper by awarding an indirect free kick to the opposing team.

Even referees who are uncompromising have allowed the rules to be violated right in front of their eyes. This has rendered the regulations introduced in 1998 irrelevant. The International Football Association Board (IFAB), along with FIFA, has come up with the idea of new rules deemed more effective.

They want the indirect free kick penalty to be replaced with a corner kick. The time allowed for goalkeepers to hold the ball is also extended to eight seconds. With penalties that are relatively lighter and longer time tolerance, referees are expected to no longer hesitate in penalizing goalkeepers.

The most important aspect of the new regulation is its more concrete implementation. The referee will count eight seconds when the ball is fully under the goalkeeper's control. The referee will begin a countdown with their fingers during the last five seconds. If the ball has not been released, a direct corner kick will be awarded to the opposing team.

The first violation by the goalkeeper will only result in a warning. If committed a second time, the referee is required to issue a yellow card. This new regulation will take effect at the 2025 Club World Cup, scheduled for June in the United States. The English U-21 League and the Italian U-20 League have been designated as initial trials.

"The goalkeeper holding the ball for too long has been a poison for many people for quite some time. Therefore, action has been taken. The trial results are very positive. We will move forward and incorporate it into the game soon," said the Chief Executive of the Irish Football Association, Patrick Nelson, who chaired the annual IFAB meeting on Saturday (1/3/2025).

During the trial in the Italian U-20 League, according to IFAB, there were only four violations resulting in corner kicks out of a total of 400 trial matches. As many as 75 percent of goalkeepers had even released the ball in just five seconds. The new rule seems to be more respected by the goalkeepers.

The habit of goalkeepers wasting time when they are ahead is increasingly worrying. In the Premier League, for example. According to data from The Athletic, 26 yellow cards have been given to goalkeepers for wasting time. That punishment is only from “set pieces”.

With 11 weeks left, the number of yellow cards has already surpassed last season's record (30). The trend continues to increase. The average number of yellow cards to goalkeepers in similar cases tended to be low between 2006-2007 to 2013-2014 (10 per season) and started to increase in 2014-2015 to 2019-2020 (15 per season).

David Elleray, a former Premier League referee who is now IFAB Technical Director, explained that the old rules were very detrimental to the team that was behind. Just look at Brighton's win at Manchester United's home last season. The MU goalkeeper only held the ball for an average of 4.8 seconds. Meanwhile, the Brighton goalkeeper held the ball for 14.8 seconds.

If the new rules are effective, it will certainly improve the quality of the game. "A good rule change is when you can stop bad habits that are being implemented by everyone, and then the problem goes away. If it speeds up the game, it will be better," Elleray told The Guardian.

So, who benefits the most? If seen from the perspective of the competing teams, of course it will be very subjective. The team that is ahead can no longer use the old tricks. The team that is behind will definitely enjoy it more. Meanwhile, the team with the status of "dark horse" may have more difficulty because they want to cut as much time as possible.

On the other hand, goalkeepers will get a bigger test. They have to really improve their decision-making skills. Not to mention, they will also definitely be disturbed by opposing players before releasing the ball. Goalkeepers with good distribution skills have the potential to shine more.

However, all of these estimates are still very gray. No one knows for sure as long as the new rules have not been implemented. The only thing for sure, the party that benefits is the general audience. The ball will roll longer on the field, not just in vain held in the goalkeeper's arms. (AP/REUTERS)