In the early hours of June 18, andThe football lived a small historical moment in the Inter & Co Stadium of Orlando. In the party that faced Ulsan HD from South Korea and Mamelelodi Sundowns from South Africaa new regulatory standard officially entered into action for the first time since its announcement: The penalty for loss of goalkeepers with corner kick in favor of the rival team.
The involuntary protagonist of this premiere was Ronwen Williams, South African goalkeeper, who in the final minutes of the match, with his team clinging to 0-1, tried to stop the clock retaining the ball in his hands beyond the new allowed limit of eight seconds. Until recently, that infraction was barely sanctioned and only in theory brought a yellow card and an indirect free kick inside the area. But since July 1, 2025, and with an early application in the Club World Cup, FIFA decided to go to action with a much more visible and punishing measure. In case of breaching the standard, the offending team will be penalized with a corner for the rival.
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The French referee Clément Turpin, with his experience as Champions and World Cups, became the first collegiate to point out this infraction under the new regulations. And he did it in a didactic way, as indicated by the new protocol: a raised hand and visual countdown from the last five seconds.
When Williams exceeded eight seconds, Turpin did not hesitate and pointed a corner kick for Ulsan. An unprecedented scene in professional football.
Standard applied at Real Madrid – to Hilal
In the first game of Group h They have played Real Madrid and Al Hilal (1-1)the norm has also been applied in the last minutes of the meeting. The goalkeeper of the Saudi team, Bououu, was delayed excessively when making the door loot and the referee, Facundo Tello, was clear: corner in favor of Real Madrid, that in any case, had no impact on the final score.
A change with clear intention
This measure is part of a reform package that FIFA announced on March 1, Designed to officially enter into force as of July of this year. However, the Club World Cup has been the ideal scenario for its early implementation.
The idea behind the change is clear: Relax the game, reduce intentional interruptions and prevent goalkeepers from becoming human watches when their teams are in advantagea.
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A before and after?
Although it may seem lower, the play starring Williams and sanctioned by Turpin could mark the beginning of a new stage in time management in modern football. Unlike the old indirect free, the corner represents a real threat. And that, in practice, can change behaviors.
It will be necessary to see if the norm is applied with the same rigor in greater caliber matches, where the clock becomes another weapon. For now, the precedent remains.
