Howard Webb, head of the Premier League Refereeing Company, revealed during a recent appearance on the podcast Stick to Football that they are testing a new rule in the Premier League Two (PL2) aimed at reducing goalkeeper stalling in matches.
According to Webb, this new rule states that if the goalkeeper holds the ball for more than eight seconds and does not let go of it, the referee will award a corner kick. The experimentation with this rule began in the Premier League's second tier, which was formerly known as the Premier League U21 and has officially replaced the U21 since the 2016-17 season, with the aim of improving the skill and confrontation of players and bringing them closer to the level of first-team play.
Webb explains, "After the goalkeeper holds the ball for three seconds, the referee will start a countdown. If the goalkeeper continues to hold the ball, a corner will be awarded. This avoids that ridiculous situation of an indirect free kick in the penalty area and the players having to scramble out of the way."
Neville, a famous soccer commentator, agrees with this new rule. He believes that one of the biggest delays in the game is the excessive time the goalkeeper spends in possession of the ball. Neville pointed out that some goalkeepers control the ball for even 9 to 10 seconds, sometimes even 13 to 14 seconds, wasting 6 to 7 seconds each time, which drives him crazy.
Neville also mentions other delays in play, such as players deliberately kicking the ball away after the referee's whistle, an act that wastes only a millisecond of time but disrupts the flow of the game all the same. In contrast, prolonged possession of the ball by the goalkeeper is even more disruptive to the rhythm of the game.
The new rule, which is being tested in the Premier League's second tier, aims to penalize goalkeepers for stalling by awarding penalty corners, thus maintaining the flow and spectacle of the game. Whether this rule will be extended to higher leagues in the future requires further observation and evaluation. But in any case, this attempt provides new ideas to reduce unnecessary delaying behavior in matches.
