New laws will see players given only five seconds to release the ball
Fifa is set to make changes to the laws ahead of the 2026 World Cup, including introducing five-second countdowns for throw-ins and goal kicks.
In recent years, football’s governing bodies, including Fifa and the International Football Association Board (Ifab) have been concerned about excessive time-wasting by players.
The laws were changed somewhat to that effect last year, introducing eight-second countdowns for goalkeepers to release the ball after catching it. The penalty for taking longer is a corner kick.
Football’s lawmakers plan to take things a bit further ahead of football’s showpiece event this summer. The new laws will see players given only five seconds to release the ball during throw-ins or goal kicks.
Failure to complete the throw or the goal kick before the referee counts down to zero would likely see the attacking team concede the throw-in to the opposition, or the goalkeeper concede a corner kick.
Ifab is set to approve the changes in its annual general meeting taking place in Wales on Saturday, 28 February.
