About TIME! New law wins Davies' approval

A NEW rule to prevent goalkeepers from time-wasting has come into force.

- By ALEX DICKEN

The law will see shotstoppers permitted to hold onto the ball for a total of eight seconds instead of six.

If they fail to release the ball within that time, the referee will award a corner against their team.

The previous law saw keepers forced to release the ball inside six seconds, otherwise an indirect free-kick was awarded against them. However, it was rarely enforced.

The new regulation is coming into play for the first time at the UEFA European Under-21 Championship, which has just got under way in Slovakia.

Managers up and down the country will no doubt be watching to see how the law is enforced and Chris Davies is an advocate of the change.

The Blues manager was left frustrated by opposition goalkeepers’ time-wasting tactics last season and believes the new punishment will act as a deterrent.