Seven new rules have been introduced in football.

27.03.2025 16:00

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) has announced 7 new football rules that will come into effect in the 2025/26 season. Among the new rules, the time goalkeepers are allowed to hold the ball has been increased to 8 seconds. Here are the rules in question...

Here is the translated HTML content with the text and the `title` and `alt` attributes of any `img` tags translated as well:



```html

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) has announced new rule changes that will take effect in the 2025-26 season. According to the current rule, goalkeepers could hold the ball with their hands for a maximum of 6 seconds after gaining control. However, this rule is often not fully adhered to; referees generally only warned the goalkeeper to speed up the game. IFAB has made this change, stating that this practice has led to a slowdown in the game.

TIME EXTENDED

According to the new rule, goalkeepers will now be able to hold the ball for up to 8 seconds. Referees will signal to the goalkeeper that their time is about to expire starting from the 5th second. If the goalkeeper exceeds 8 seconds, a corner kick will be awarded to the opposing team.

WHEN WILL IT BE IMPLEMENTED?

The extent to which the new regulation will be implemented is already a matter of curiosity. Especially how sensitive referees will be on this issue will directly determine the impact of the rules.

REFEREE COMMUNICATION MAY BE PROHIBITED

Another notable change made was aimed at preventing disputes that may arise during free kicks. From now on, some organizations will only allow the team captain to speak with the referee using the foam that referees draw for free kicks. Players who do not comply with the rule may be penalized with a yellow card.

No changes have been made to the "double touch" rule, which came back into the spotlight after Julian Alvarez's unfortunate slip during the penalty in the Champions League. However, due to the timing of this incident being very close to the announcement date, it is expected that the issue will be revisited by IFAB in the future. IFAB has approved new refereeing rules that will come into effect on July 1, 2025.

Here are the main changes;

• Goalkeeper Time-Wasting Rule - Goalkeepers who hold the ball for more than eight seconds will now give a corner to the opposing team.
• Captain-Referee Communication - Only the team captain will be allowed to approach the referee.
• Ball Release Procedure - When the game is stopped outside the penalty area, the ball is left to the team that clearly has or will have possession of the ball.
• External Interference - If a substitute player, team official, or a player outside the field unintentionally touches the ball that is out of play, the game will be restarted instead of a disciplinary penalty, and an indirect free kick will be awarded.
• VAR Announcements - To increase transparency, referees will now be able to explain their decisions after a VAR check.
• Assistant Referee Position - During penalty kicks, assistant referees must position themselves in line with the penalty spot, which is considered the offside line.
• Referee Body Cameras - FIFA will test body cameras on referees in competitions such as the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup to improve player behavior and provide training material.