Long-throw trend prompts Ifab to consider time limit for taking throw-ins
Long throws have doubled in Premier League this season
Trend has led to reduction of in-play time
Football’s lawmakers are considering taking action against the most fashionable trend in the game: long throws. The International Football Association Board (Ifab) has discussed the possibility of limiting how long a player can spend on a throw-in, in a bid to increase the amount of time the ball is in play during a match.
Goalkeepers are limited in the amount of time they can hold on to the ball after new measures introduced this season. A corner is now awarded if they fail to release the ball within eight seconds. That countdown is signalled by the referee with his fingers and the possibility of introducing a similar proposal for throw-ins and goal kicks was discussed at a virtual meeting of Ifab’s Football and Technical Advisory Panels (Fap-Tap) on Tuesday.
