A new football law change will make the game a lot quicker, a referee chief has said.
A significant new rule was seen during the Euro 2025 final between England and Spain during the penalty shootout.
Beth Mead slipped when she took her penalty, causing her to touch the ball twice before the ball hit the back of the net.
This is not allowed. Previously, the goal would have been chalked off.
But thanks to the new law, it meant she was allowed to retake her penalty kick.
If a double-touch happens during a game and a player misses or has the penalty saved, a free-kick will be awarded to the defending team.
But it is another law that is being hailed as a positive for the game.
Referees can now give corners to the opposition if goalkeepers take more than eight seconds to release the ball from their hands.
A previous six-second rule was hardly ever enforced, with refs seemingly reluctant to order indirect free-kicks for the infringement.
But a leading referee chief expects this summer’s major law change to speed up games without referees having to intervene much, if at all.
On the worldwide rule change, Scottish Football Association head of referees Willie Collum said: “We think it will make the game much quicker because the goalkeepers now are under pressure to release a ball.
“We’ll have prepared our referees tactically for that as well, forgetting just about the decision-making, the eight seconds and punishing it. We also know there will be a lot of shorter balls at times in and around the penalty area. We need our referees to be well prepared for that.
“But, it’s like any rule change, the clubs are aware of it. We’ve spoken to a lot of goalkeeper coaches who are saying they’ve already been coaching it, working at it. So, we don’t think we’ll see a great amount of issues with that.”
Referees will start the count when the goalkeeper is in full control of the ball and is unobstructed by opponents, and will visibly count the last five seconds. If any opposition player pressures or obstructs the goalkeeper, an indirect free-kick will be awarded.
Collum added: “We know that in the League Cup so far, we’ve not encountered any issues with it at all. It’s not been punished once. So we’d hope that would continue throughout the season. We’ll be proactive as well in working with the goalkeepers with that.”
Another law to come in this summer involves referees: if touch the ball, they will hand a drop ball to the team who would have received it, rather than only resuming the game with possession to the last team that played the ball.
