Goalkeeper eight-second rule: the restart explained
IFAB's current Law 12 uses a corner kick for holding the ball beyond eight seconds.
Control starts the count
Under IFAB's current Law 12, a goalkeeper controlling the ball with the hands or arms inside the penalty area for more than eight seconds before release concedes a corner kick. The referee decides when control begins and visibly counts the final five seconds with a raised hand.
Control is a defined situation, not every accidental contact with a hand. The Law describes examples such as holding the ball between the hands or between a hand and a surface, bouncing it, and tossing it in the air.
This is not an automatic penalty
The specified restart is a corner kick, not a penalty kick and not an indirect free kick borrowed from an older version of the Law. That distinction matters when reading a current football event feed or an older explanation online.
The corner is taken from the corner area nearest to the goalkeeper's position when penalised. The goalkeeper also cannot be challenged while controlling the ball with the hands or arms, so the countdown does not invite opponents to kick it away.
Check the version and event
Competitions can have their own implementation context, and archived matches must be read under the rules applying then. Do not project a current provision backwards without checking the season.
A hypothetical 0-0 game stays 0-0 after this offence; a corner is an opportunity, not a goal already scored. ScoreZaap's confirmed event and score should be read together. This guide explains the currently retrieved IFAB Law, not a timing judgment from an unseen live incident.