The International Football Association Board (IFAB) announces a new rule for Tottenham and other teams to abide by – one that is intended to combat one common mode of time wasting that teams regularly employ.
We have seen Premier League teams employ various methods of time-wasting over the years and the problem has only gotten worse over the last decade, with sides coming up with new and inventive ways of slowing the game down.
There have been efforts to combat this by the authorities, one of which is the decision to add sufficient injury time after the final whistle if there have been frequent time-wasting stoppages.
The officials have also been slightly more proactive in booking players who deliberately kick the ball away or block the opposition from taking a quick free-kick.
But what is this new rule and how will it impact Tottenham?
Guglielmo Vicario can only hold the ball for 8 seconds
The IFAB have now approved another law change in order to ensure that teams are not able to run the clock down when the ball is not in play.
According to Fabrizio Romano, the body has given the green light to bring in a law that prevents goalkeepers like Guglielmo Vicario from hanging onto the ball for too long.
If the goalkeeper holds onto the ball for more than eight seconds, the new law allows the referee to award a corner kick to the opposition.
This Premier League law change will help Tottenham
Goalkeepers have been the biggest perpetrators when it comes to time-wasting over recent years, which is why this is a welcome rule change.
One of the reasons why a yellow card is not a sufficient deterrent for goalkeepers is that they are at far less risk of getting a second yellow than outfield players are.
This decision to impose real cost on the side by awarding the opposition a corner should have the desired effect. While Tottenham are not exactly known for their time-wasting antics, Vicario will certainly want to avoid giving away any unnecessary corners, seeing how much he struggles with them.
In fact, the rule change should actually help teams like Tottenham who are more often the team putting others under pressure, rather than looking to time waste themselves.