Premier League goalkeepers will be punished if they hold onto the ball for more than eight seconds, with the new law coming into force in time for the start of next season. The rule has been implemented by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) in an attempt to crack down on time-wasting.
Currently, goalkeepers are penalised if they cling onto the ball for more than six seconds – but the rule is rarely enforced. Under the new system, teams will be awarded a corner when their opponents’ goalkeeper fails to release the ball after eight seconds. Referees will warn shot-stoppers of their time restraints by starting a visual countdown with their fingers when they have five seconds remaining with the ball.
The new law was announced at IFAB’s AGM in Belfast at the start of the month and will be in place across the world throughout all levels of the game by July 1.
It will be used during the Club World Cup, which gets underway on June 15 and features Premier League giants Manchester City and Chelsea.
The new law is expected to be applied strictly, which could see Premier League teams being awarded more corner kicks during matches.
And that could play into the hands of teams like Arsenal, Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa, who have been able to bag plenty of goals from corners this season.
After the new law was announced, IFAB technical director and ex-Premier League ref David Elleray stated in The Times: “Good law changes are where you have a very strong deterrent which everybody implements and then the problem effectively disappears.
“If it speeds up the game, if it’s more positive, it means that it could be one of those very effective deterrents.”
And former England goalkeeper Rob Green told the BBC: “Back in the day there was the six-second rule and that has slowly faded away. I don’t know why – I think that was enough of a deterrent.
“Maybe they are thinking the punishment being a bit more lenient may get things going. It seems a strange one to reintroduce, but if we can get more football in the 90 minutes then I’m all for it.
“As a percentage there’s only around a 4 per cent chance of scoring from a corner so it isn’t that much of a threat. But at the end of the game, the last thing your team-mates want to do is defend a set-piece if you’re winning.
“I think we see it every year – they will implement it right from the start but in a couple of years’ time we may be having this same conversation.”
Content Source: www.express.co.uk