New football rules officially approved: Preventions to stop goalkeepers wasting time, cameras on referees...

Football will have some new rules next season. The International Football Association Board (IFAB) held a meeting on March 1 to discuss and approve a number of changes to the rulebook, that will come into effect on 1 July 2025. And there's a very interesting one, that will target goalkeepers who drop to the ground in order to waste time.

According to the IFAB, the amended law 12.2 will make that if a goalkeeper holds the ball for longer than eight seconds (with the referee using a visual five-second countdown), the referee will award a corner kick to the opposing team. In short, goalkeepers won't be allowed to hold the ball more than eight seconds in their hands.

Other changes include announcing through loudspeakers the decisions taken by VAR and explaining why they made them. Besides, referees will use body cameras, after successful tests with referees at grassroots level in England, "given its positive impact on player behaviour", as it would help referees prove abusive behaviour or insults by players.

What won't be widespread used is the "Wenger law": an attacker player would only be offside if his whole body is ahead of the line of the last defender. This would "foster attacking football and encourage goal-scoring opportunities while maintaining the sport's attractiveness", say IFAB. This measure, that would radically alter offside tactic strategies, will be tested in some competitions to study their viability.

These rules will be applicable on July 1, with the exception of the FIFA Club World Cup, which starts on June 14 this year.