4 March 2025
The International Football Association Board (IFAB) has agreed to make new amendments to some arbitration laws, after experiments proved to have a positive impact on some organizational aspects on the field. These decisions were taken during the 139th meeting of the body responsible for the laws of football, which was held in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
The International Football Association Board announced that the new rules will come into effect starting with the Club World Cup, which will be held in the United States between June 14 and July 13, 2025, and that these rules will continue to be applied in various tournaments starting from the 2025/26 season.
One of the most prominent amendments that will be applied in the 2025 Club World Cup is awarding corner kicks to the opposing team if the goalkeeper keeps the ball for more than eight seconds.
The previous rule stipulated that goalkeepers may not keep the ball for more than six seconds, and in the event of a violation, an indirect free kick is awarded inside the penalty area, which gives the opponent a great opportunity to score a goal due to the close distance from the goal.
In the new law approved by the council, a corner kick will be awarded against goalkeepers who keep the ball for more than eight seconds, and referees will rely on a visual countdown to make the decision.
This move aims to reduce goalkeepers’ attempts to waste time by “holding the ball for long periods”, and is one of several changes to the laws of the game announced by the council.
Since the introduction of the video assistant referee (VAR) technology in the world of football, stadiums have witnessed many discussions between players and referees about some refereeing cases or returning to review using the technology.
In this regard, the International Football Association Board (IFAB) announced the generalization of a rule whereby referees are only addressed by team captains. This rule was adopted in the English Premier League this season and will be applied in the European Nations Championship 2024.
This decision was made to reduce verbal or physical opposition to referees when making decisions, as this amendment can enhance levels of fairness and mutual respect, which are fundamental values of the game.
The most important new amendments:
- Preventing goalkeepers from wasting time: Awarding a corner kick to the opposing team if the goalkeeper keeps the ball for more than eight seconds.
- Amending Article 3.10 stipulates that only the team captain is allowed to speak to the referee in specific cases, in order to reduce protests over decisions.
- Dropped ball: If play is stopped and the ball is outside the penalty area, it will be awarded to the team that was in possession of it or that was expected to receive it according to the referee’s assessment. If there is ambiguity, the ball will be awarded to the team that last touched it before play was stopped.
- Touching the ball by people outside the field of play:
Amendment to Article 9.2 stipulates that if a member of the technical staff, substitutes or an expelled player touches the ball after it has left the field of play without the intention of interfering unfairly, an indirect free kick will be awarded without disciplinary sanctions.
- Announcing the referee's decisions after the return to the "VAR" technology publicly: The referee is now obliged to explain the situation to the fans and explain the reason for his decision after reviewing the shot via the "VAR" technology, especially in FIFA tournaments.
