The End of Tricks: New Law in English Football Starting Next Season
The well-known phenomenon of goalkeepers "suddenly" lying on the grass in the final minutes to waste time is about to disappear. English football authorities have reached a historic agreement to trial a new rule aimed at eradicating simulated goalkeeper injuries starting next season.
The well-known phenomenon of goalkeepers "suddenly" lying on the grass in the final minutes to waste time is about to disappear. Officiating bodies and top leagues in England have reached a historic agreement on a dramatic trial intended to eradicate the faking of injuries by goalkeepers as early as the upcoming season.
EXCL: English football agrees to trial the eradication of goalkeeper injury tactical timeouts.
Coaches will have 10 seconds to select an outfield player to leave the field for one minute.
The rule will be applied across:
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Premier League
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EFL
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National League
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WSL
The chosen solution does not settle for soft measures like banning gatherings in the technical area, but rather lands a much more painful blow directly on the coaches. According to the new regulations, if the referee allows a physiotherapist to enter the pitch to treat the goalkeeper, the coach will be given only 10 seconds to select an outfield player who must leave the pitch, leaving his team with 10 players for a full minute. If the coach fails to select a player within the allotted time, the team captain will leave the pitch automatically.
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This step was born out of the perception that only a real threat of numerical inferiority will deter coaches from exploiting this loophole. The logic behind the change aligns with the existing rule regarding outfield players, who are forced to leave for treatment outside the field of play. The new standard will include only a few justified exceptions, such as cases of severe injury, concussion, bleeding, a foul committed against the goalkeeper, or a collision with an outfield player.
If final approval is received from the International Football Association Board (IFAB), the trial will begin as early as the upcoming League Cup match between Tranmere and Rochdale. If the pilot in England and other leagues around the world proves successful, the change may become a permanent global rule starting from the 2027/28 season, finally putting an end to time-wasting.
