Dubravka Makes History as First Keeper Penalized Under New Time-Wasting Rule

Burnley goalkeeper Martin Dubravka has become the first player in Premier League history to be penalised over new rules aimed at reducing time-wasting. Dubravka conceded a corner after holding onto the ball for more than eight seconds in his side's clash with Tottenham .

The new rule is one of several tweaks that have been made this season, with referees instructed to give goalkeepers a countdown to stop holding the ball before awarding a corner if they fail to release it in time.

The incident occurred early on in the game, which Spurs comfortably won 3-0 thanks to a brace from Richarlison and a goal from Brennan Johnson. The rule change was approved by IFAB earlier this year and adopted at the Club World Cup.

Speaking after the tournament, FIFA's head of referees Pieluigi Collina said: "It was very successful; the tempo of the match was improved. We had no time lost by goalkeepers keeping the ball between their hands for a very long time — as happened quite often in matches before.

"The purpose was not to give corner kicks, but to prevent the eight seconds rule from being ignored. The purpose was 100% achieved."

And speaking ahead of the new Premier League season, PGMOL boss Howard Webb explained: "It's quite a radical change, really, but the basic idea is to get the ball back into play more quickly.

"It's meant to be preventative, not punitive. Like in other sports - if you play tennis at Wimbledon, you have to serve within a certain amount of seconds."

However, West Ham's vice-chairman Karren Brady is not a fan of the rule change, branding it "daft tinkering" in a column for the Sun . Brady wrote: "What was wrong with the old rule which gave keepers six seconds to release, with punishment in the form of an indirect free-kick?

"Beats me. It was hardly ever enforced anyway. The body which has come up with this latest daft tinkering, I meant well-researched brainstorm, the International Football Association Board, must have spent ages on it.

"Probably in a well-stocked five-star hotel somewhere near FIFA's Swiss Alps headquarters. The purpose of this newest change is to cut down on time-wasting but how can extending possession from six to eight seconds do that?

"And also the fact that the 'old' rule was almost never imposed surely means it was a good rule. A bit like competent refereeing, if you don’t know they are there, chances are the official is doing a decent job."

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