Referees will award nook kicks starting subsequent season, as an alternative of oblique free-kicks, to punish goalkeepers who attempt to waste time by holding onto the ball for greater than eight seconds.
The Worldwide Soccer Affiliation Board (IFAB), liable for the legal guidelines of the game, unanimously authorized the rule change at its 139th annual basic assembly in Belfast.
Regulation 12.2 at the moment states that goalkeepers can solely maintain the ball of their palms for six seconds throughout open play, with the opposition being awarded an oblique free-kick in the event that they exceed that allotted time. Nonetheless, the rule is never enforced, which has given netminders a straightforward avenue to waste time.
“The modification implies that if a goalkeeper holds the ball for longer than eight seconds (with the referee utilizing a visible five-second countdown), the referee will award a nook kick to the opposing staff (slightly than the present oblique free kick for greater than six seconds),” IFAB mentioned in a press release.
The brand new rule has been trialed in varied youth leagues this season, together with in England and Italy, with referees elevating their arm after which incrementally bringing it right down to their facet like a hand on a clock to point the countdown.
The IFAB mentioned 4 nook kicks have been awarded within the 400-plus matches that have been a part of the trial. FIFA secretary basic Mattias Grafstrom known as the check “very profitable.”
The change shall be applied for the upcoming Membership World Cup, which begins June 14 in america. It’s going to then come into impact worldwide in July.
