Why are goalkeeper injury timeouts controversial? Is anything being done about them?

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Is anything being done about them?Robert Sanchez received treatment while Leeds were on top during Sunday's FA Cup semi-final MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images Share article“Listen, let’s be fair to Robert Sanchez — he could be injured.” This line of commentary was delivered with very little conviction and was almost drowned out by the deafening boos of Leeds United fans at Wembley Stadium on Sunday. Goalkeepers claiming to be injured and receiving treatment while their team-mates gather to receive instructions from the dugout, is becoming an increasingly common and frustrating sight. Sanchez, of course, would likely say he was in real discomfort. “I spoke about this topic several times during the season and made my feelings clear,” Leeds manager Daniel Farke said after the game, though he declined to comment further on the incident to “show some class”. Farke previously referred to the tactic as a way to “bend the rules” after a similar incident in his side’s 3-2 defeat to Manchester City in November. Time-wasting is an issue that continues to shape-shift around the laws of the game, and this appears to be the latest trend. So what can be done? The appeal of this loophole to Premier League sides is clear: when any outfield player goes down and receives treatment, they have to leave the pitch for 30 seconds. Goalkeepers are exempt, meaning if they can claim injury and receive treatment, without their team being temporarily reduced to ten players. Teams can use the pause in play to receive instructions from the dugout. In this case, it was Chelsea goalkeeper Sanchez who sat down in his own penalty area and signalled for attention fifteen minutes into the second half of their semi-final against Leeds. Their 1-0 lead (which would end up being the final score) was under threat from a Leeds side who looked far more threatening in the second half, and Leeds had just been awarded a free-kick just outside the box. Daniel Farke and his players, particularly Ethan Ampadu, were infuriated by the stoppage, but there was no offence committed. Farke has spoken about the issue previously this season after his team’s 3-2 defeat to Manchester City. In the second half, Gianluigi Donnarumma received treatment, allowing Pep Guardiola to give instructions to the rest of the team at a time when Leeds were in the ascendancy. In his post-match press conference, Farke said: “Everyone knows why he went down, right? “If it’s within the rules, I can’t complain about it. We should think about how we can deal with it, and also how we educate it.” Brighton & Hove Albion’s Fabian Hurzeler also criticised Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya in March after the Spain international went down to receive treatment in the second half. The tactic seems to be increasingly common among Premier League teams, but has been a problem in the women’s game for some time. Chelsea’s Sonia Bompastor and Arsenal’s Renee Slegers have voiced frustrations about the issue this season. According to The Athletic’s refereeing expert Graham Scott, it is not something they can influence either way. He says: “The referees are told they are not doctors. It’s not up to them to judge an injury. You can guarantee the one time a referee forces a player back to their feet, it’ll be the time they are genuinely injured. “So referees can’t win. It’s an issue for the game to solve, not referees.” The International Football Association Board (IFAB) — the organisation behind football’s Laws Of The Game — have introduced various measures attempting to combat time-wasting in the past two years. In 2025, the new rule punishing goalkeepers for holding onto the ball for too long was introduced; keepers must now release the ball within eight seconds, or a corner kick is given to the opposition. The issue of supposed injuries being used to stop play has already received attention. Currently, outfield players who receive treatment in the Premier League have to wait 30 seconds before rejoining play. Further measures are being introduced, starting with the World Cup this summer. Players who have received on-field treatment or whose injury has caused play to be stopped will need to stay off for a longer period of one minute (which does not apply to goalkeepers, or players injured by a challenge that results in a card). Throw-ins and goal kicks will be given a five-second countdown if the referee believes there is a deliberate delay, with throw-ins being reversed and goal kicks becoming corners if the player takes too long. However, IFAB have not yet come up with a solution for the issue of goalkeeper-induced ‘tactical time-outs’. Introducing a 30-second wait for any outfielder who receives treatment is seen as having been a success, but removing a team’s goalkeeper for 30 seconds is obviously not possible. IFAB’s AGM notes from February this year say: “The IFAB also agreed that trials be conducted to further assess tactical injury delays by goalkeepers and to propose options to deter such behaviour.” One possible solution suggested is that an outfield player would have to leave the field after play restarted if a goalkeeper received treatment — meaning a goalkeeper ‘tactical timeout’ would lose its appeal of keeping all eleven players on the pitch. The Women’s Super League (WSL) is considering a trial of this policy during the 2026-27 season, but it has not yet been confirmed. The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) has introduced a policy for the 2026 season where players from both teams are not allowed to approach their team’s technical area during a stoppage for a goalkeeper injury. Alternatively, The Athletic’s Jordan Campbell argued in December after that stoppage in Leeds’ defeat to Manchester City that if a rule to stop teams calling unofficial time-outs is too difficult to implement, they could simply be legalised. A team’s captain or manager could call a 60-second stoppage when play is dead, with the clock paused or time added on at the end of the half. This is not the first time football’s lawmakers have had to get creative to deter players from exploiting loopholes in the rules — but it will not be the last, either. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms