GOALKEEPERS will be allowed eight seconds from catching the ball to releasing it, in the latest attempt to cut down on time-wasting.
The rule change – which comes into effect this summer – will prevent keepers from using a clever tactic often associated with Jordan Pickford.
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Goalkeepers will concede a corner if they hold onto the ball for more than eight seconds.
The new rule will stamp out keepers lying on the ball after routine collections in the penalty box.
But while Everton star Pickford gets stick for this dark-art metric, virtually every other Prem stopper does it too.
And fans laughed their heads off when they accused Liverpool No 1 Alisson of mimicking Pickford in the Merseyside derby in 2022.
The law currently states that teams will concede an indirect free-kick after six seconds, but it is rarely applied.
Although, referees have dished out more yellow cards for different time-wasting tactics this season, including delaying the goal kick.
But keepers will surely now move quicker, now that the rule change will see them concede a corner for violating the eight-second law.
The count is intended to begin when the keeper has the ball in his hands or is bouncing it on the pitch – so no more flopping to the ground for ten seconds.
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After just three seconds, referees will raise their hands and fingers to count down to zero, with a corner being awarded if the keeper has not played the ball.
Positive results in trials across England, Italy and Malta have prompted the games rule-makers, the International Football Association Board (Ifab), to change the law for the start of the 2025-26 season.
This rule will be implemented worldwide by 1 July, at all levels of the game from elite to amateur.
It will also be in place for the Club World Cup, which runs from 15 June to 13 July.
The new tournament features Manchester City and Chelsea, so Premier League fans will be able to see how Ederson, Stefan Ortega, Robert Sanchez or Filip Jorgensen cope with that countdown for the first time.
Teams can also expect early casualties too.
We already know how strictly rules are enforced when they are first brought in.
Just ask Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard, who both got handed second yellow cards early this season for delaying the restart.
