Updates for the season 2024/25

IFAB Trial: Goalkeeper holding the ball for too long

9 Sep 2024

This season PL2 will trial new law surrounding goalkeepers

With the Premier League kick-off fast approaching, here's what's new for the 2024/25 season.

In conjunction with International Football Association Board (IFAB), which oversees the Laws of the Game, a new trial will take place in Premier League 2 this season which will look to tackle incidents of goalkeepers holding on to the ball for too long.

In Premier League 2, referees have been instructed that the goalkeeper cannot hold the ball for longer than eight seconds. If this happens, a corner kick will be awarded to the opposing team and the ’keeper may be cautioned.

Here’s how it will work

-The referee will start counting the eight seconds when the goalkeeper has clear control of the ball with the hand(s).
-The referee will use a raised hand to clearly show the countdown from five seconds to zero.
-The corner kick resulting from an offence will be taken from the side of the field of play closest to where the goalkeeper was positioned when penalised.
-The goalkeeper will be warned for the first offence and cautioned with a yellow card for any subsequent offence(s).

IFAB will monitor the trial.

Contents:

VAR
VAR Improvement Plan
Decision-making process
What VAR cannot do
Threshold for VAR intervention
Attacking Possession Phase
Semi-Automated Offside Technology

Participant Behaviour Charter
Context for Change
Core Principles
Regulatory

Updates for Season 2024/25
Effective Playing Time – Allowance for time lost
Effective Playing Time – Calculation of Additional Time
Effective Playing Time – Delaying the restart
Effective Playing Time – Managing momentum
Handball – Interpretation
Holding
Blocking
Denying a goal or an obvious goal scoring opportunity
Penalty kicks