Goalkeepers who waste time by holding on to the ball are to be penalised with the award of a corner, the law-making International Football Association Board (Ifab) has confirmed. The new law, which will be introduced this summer, will mean goalkeepers have eight seconds to claim and redistribute the ball before they are penalised, with the referee giving a five-second countdown to warn them of incoming punishment.
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The 2034 men’s football World Cup will be held in Saudi Arabia, while Spain, Portugal and Morocco will be joint hosts for the 2030 tournament, world governing body Fifa has confirmed. Three matches in the 2030 tournament will also be held in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay to mark 100 years of the competition. The hosts for both World Cups were confirmed at Wednesday’s Extraordinary Fifa Congress meeting following a vote.
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Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami will face Egyptian club Al Ahly in the opening game of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup while Premier League champions Manchester City will face Juventus in the opening group stage of FIFA’s controversial restructuring of the tournament. Chelsea will take on Brazil giants Flamengo in the United States next summer.
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Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Tottenham have all pledged their commitment to the existing competitions they play in, while the Premier League has rejected the European Super League concept following Thursday’s European Court of Justice ruling.
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Fabio Paratici has stepped back from his role as Tottenham Hotspur managing director of football pending the outcome of his appeal against a worldwide ban from football. The 50-year-old’s departure follows FIFA’s decision on Wednesday to extend his Italian FA (FIGC) ban for alleged financial malpractice.
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