Belfast: The International Football Association Board (IFAB) announced Saturday that a new rule was approved for time-wasting by goalkeepers.

According to Anadolu Agency, the IFAB, after the 139th Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Belfast, Northern Ireland, unanimously decided to amend a law about indirect free kicks. The new rule specifies that if a goalkeeper holds the ball for longer than 8 seconds, with the referee using a visual five-second countdown, the referee will award a corner kick to the opposing team. Previously, the law stated that a goalkeeper had six seconds to release the ball before the opposing team was awarded an indirect free kick, but this was rarely enforced by officials.

Separately, there is a new addition to the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) protocol, with an option for the referee to make an announcement after a VAR review or lengthy VAR check. A statement also introduced a new set of guidelines to apply the principle of only the captain approaching the referee in specific situations.

The IFAB also mentioned their decision to proactively find competitions to conduct additional offside trials. This initiative aims to foster attacking football and encourage goal-scoring opportunities while maintaining the sport’s attractiveness.