Sports

Premier League trialing major rule change - and it could have a huge impact on the game

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 1: Goalkeeper of Arsenal David Raya during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD2 match between Arsenal FC and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) at Emirates Stadium on October 1, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images) Premier League

David Raya holds onto the ball(Image credit: Getty Images)

The Premier League are trialing a radical rule change that intends to cut down on time wasting among goalkeepers.

Howard Webb, the current chief refereeing officer at the PGMOL, revealed that games in the Premier League 2 - competed by elite U21 sides - are currently seeing much stricter time limits placed on how long a goalkeeper can hold a ball for.

The current rule states that goalkeepers are only allowed to hold onto the ball for six seconds before releasing it, with the countdown starting as soon as they are in control of the ball. If they exceed six seconds, then an indirect free-kick is awarded to the opposing team. Though the rule was introduced in 1998, it's one that has rarely been enforced - especially in the Premier League.

Premier League trialing strict time-wasting rule

Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet, Gary Neville stated that goalkeepers failing to adhere to the six-second rule is "the biggest delay in the game".

"Youve got a situation where goalkeepers are holding the ball for nine, ten seconds, sometimes 13 or 14 seconds theyre wasting six or seven seconds every time," Neville said. "That never gets pulled up and that rule is still in. It drives my crazy."

But while there's no indication as to when, or even if, this new rule change could be implemented in the Premier League, Webb highlighted that steps are being taken to limit the amount of time the ball isn't actively in play for.

In Premier League 2, theyre trialing something around the goalkeeper holding the ball for more than six seconds," Webb revealed on the Stick to Football podcast.

"If they hold it for eight seconds and dont release it, it goes to a corner to the other team. After three seconds, the referee counts down, and if the goalkeeper is daft enough to hold onto it, itll be a corner. That avoids the ridiculous situation where you have an indirect free kick in the six-yard box, and players are chasing out.

VIDEO: Why Thomas Tuchel Is PERFECT For England

Neville reacted positively to the trial and the idea in general.

I like that," Neville said. "I think we all like that."

Ryan Dabbs

Staff writer

Ryan is a staff writer for FourFourTwo, joining the team full-time in October 2022. He first joined Future in December 2020, working across FourFourTwo, Golf Monthly, Rugby World and Advnture's websites, before eventually earning himself a position with FourFourTwo permanently. After graduating from Cardiff University with a degree in Journalism and Communications, Ryan earned a NCTJ qualification to further develop as a writer while a Trainee News Writer at Future.