In a significant rule change for football, goalkeepers who hold onto the ball for longer than eight seconds will now face a penalty in the form of a corner kick awarded to the opposing team.

This new law was unanimously approved by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) at its 139th Annual General Meeting in Northern Ireland on Saturday.

The change marks an amendment to the current Law 12.2, which previously stated that goalkeepers had six seconds to release the ball before an indirect free-kick would be awarded to the opposing team. With the new law, goalkeepers will have an additional two seconds to release the ball, but should they exceed the eight-second mark, the opposing team will be granted a corner kick instead of an indirect free-kick.

This modification comes after successful trials that showed a positive impact on reducing time-wasting by goalkeepers holding onto the ball for too long. IFAB stated, “After trials have shown a major positive impact, the IFAB has unanimously decided to amend Law 12.2.” The trials were carried out in over 400 games across three different competitions, including the Premier League 2.

The new rule will come into effect next season and will be applied at FIFA’s Club World Cup, which will take place in the United States from June 15 to July 13. Referees will use a five-second visual countdown to warn goalkeepers before they are penalized for time-wasting.

In addition to the goalkeeper rule change, IFAB also voted to continue the offside trials, where attackers will be ruled onside if their torso is level with the second-to-last defender.

Another adjustment was made to Law 8.2, regarding drop balls. From next season, if play is stopped outside the penalty area, the ball will be dropped for the team that had or would have gained possession if the referee deems it clear. If this isn’t clear, the ball will be dropped for the team that last touched it, and the ball will be placed where play was stopped.

These new rules will not only be operational in the FIFA Club World Cup but will also be tested with referees wearing body cameras as part of a live match transmission experiment.