Tightening penalties on goalkeepers

Proposals from the annual meeting of football lawmakers have come forward to impose strict penalties on goalkeepers who deliberately waste time during matches. The International Football Association Board (IFAB) agreed at its meeting today, Saturday, in Scotland, to enhance the role of fans in the countdown for goalkeepers who hold the ball for a long time.

In this context, goalkeepers will have the right to hold the ball for 8 seconds instead of 6 seconds, and after this period has elapsed, penalties will be imposed on the goalkeeper by granting a corner kick to the opposing team or a throw-in on the penalty line, instead of counting a penalty kick or an indirect free kick.

These amendments come within the framework of 3 proposals that have been adopted for implementation in local competitions at least and amateur competitions. The second and third proposals also focused on improving player behavior towards match referees.

The president of the International Football Federation (FIFA), Gianni Infantino, had expressed his exclusion of the idea of using the blue card as a means of temporarily expelling players, as he did not participate in the press conference that followed the meeting before the council went to follow a match between St Mirren and Aberdeen in the Scottish League.

The British news agency (PA Media) indicated that the blue card was about to be adopted within the penalty regulations last month, but approval was not given to apply this penalty in major tournaments, despite previous confirmations by Pierluigi Collina, head of the referees committee in the International Football Federation, last November, that discussions are still ongoing regarding the application of this penalty in all competitions.

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