By Robbie Butler
It has been interesting to read recently that IFAB, football’s custodians of the laws of the sport, are considering moves “to deal more effectively with goalkeepers who unfairly hold the ball for too long”. This statement appears in the 2024/25 Laws of the Game and seeks to target one of the most unapplied/broken rules, in my opinion, in the game.
What is more interesting is that goalkeepers holding the ball is currently covered by Law 12 – Fouls and Misconduct. The rule states that “An indirect free kick is awarded if a goalkeeper, inside their penalty area, commits any of the following offences: controls the ball with the hand/arm for more than six seconds before releasing it”.
Anyone that watches football will know this “six second rule”, introduced around 20 years ago (I think) is almost never applied. Prior to the introduction of the rule, goalkeepers would simply hold the ball for long periods of time. The final minutes of the 1992 UEFA European Championship Final between Denmark and Germany are a must-watch for those that want to witness how dreadful this, and the back-pass to the goalkeeper, were prior to important rule changes.
Goalkeepers were permitted to take 4 steps with the ball in hand. They would often then drop the ball, before picking it up again, to continue. This loophole was closed, but the steps rule remained. Timing was simply at the referee’s discretion.
This changed with the 6-second rule. But does this rule actually matter?
I recently watched an English Premier League game and counted to 34 seconds before the goalkeeper, who had caught a cross, decided to release the ball from his hands.
The question, for me at least, is why do referee’s ignore this formal rule? Will trialing a new punishment e.g. awarding a corner instead of an indirect free kick, increase application of this rule? Maybe, but why is the current punishment not applied?
Another interesting dynamic of this rule is that players rarely seek it’s application. For example, during the 34 seconds that the goalkeeper had the ball in his hands, not a single player visibly appealed for an indirect free kick to be awarded. They were instead happy to wait for the ball to return to play.
It has been interesting to read recently that IFAB, football’s custodians of the laws of the sport, are considering moves “to deal more effectively with goalkeepers who unfairly hold the ball for too long”. This statement appears in the 2024/25 Laws of the Game and seeks to target one of the most unapplied/broken rules, in my opinion, in the game.
What is more interesting is that goalkeepers holding the ball is currently covered by Law 12 – Fouls and Misconduct. The rule states that “An indirect free kick is awarded if a goalkeeper, inside their penalty area, commits any of the following offences: controls the ball with the hand/arm for more than six seconds before releasing it”.
Anyone that watches football will know this “six second rule”, introduced around 20 years ago (I think) is almost never applied. Prior to the introduction of the rule, goalkeepers would simply hold the ball for long periods of time. The final minutes of the 1992 UEFA European Championship Final between Denmark and Germany are a must-watch for those that want to witness how dreadful this, and the back-pass to the goalkeeper, were prior to important rule changes.
Goalkeepers were permitted to take 4 steps with the ball in hand. They would often then drop the ball, before picking it up again, to continue. This loophole was closed, but the steps rule remained. Timing was simply at the referee’s discretion.
This changed with the 6-second rule. But does this rule actually matter?
I recently watched an English Premier League game and counted to 34 seconds before the goalkeeper, who had caught a cross, decided to release the ball from his hands.
The question, for me at least, is why do referee’s ignore this formal rule? Will trialing a new punishment e.g. awarding a corner instead of an indirect free kick, increase application of this rule? Maybe, but why is the current punishment not applied?
Another interesting dynamic of this rule is that players rarely seek it’s application. For example, during the 34 seconds that the goalkeeper had the ball in his hands, not a single player visibly appealed for an indirect free kick to be awarded. They were instead happy to wait for the ball to return to play.
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