Bratislava: With the commencement of the 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship in Slovakia today, UEFA will implement a change to Law 12.2 of the Laws of the Game. This amendment, approved by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) on 1 March 2025, introduces significant changes to how goalkeepers manage ball possession.

According to Azeri-Press News Agency, under the new regulation, if a goalkeeper retains the ball for more than eight seconds, the opposing team will be awarded a corner kick. This marks a shift from the previous rule, which penalized goalkeepers with an indirect free kick for holding the ball beyond six seconds. To assist with the enforcement of this rule, referees will execute a visible five-second countdown to indicate the latter part of the time limit.

The guidelines for referees regarding the new rule include several key points. The eight-second count begins once the goalkeeper has complete control of the ball and is not under challenge from an opponent. During the final five seconds, the referee will make the countdown visible to ensure the goalkeeper is aware of the time remaining. Should opponents begin to press or obstruct the goalkeeper during this countdown, the referee will halt the count and award an indirect free kick in the goalkeeper's favor.

This regulation will be applicable to all UEFA competition matches starting today. Earlier this month, UEFA also adopted an IFAB clarification to Law 14, addressing situations where a player taking a penalty kick contacts the ball twice.