English football’s governing bodies and major leagues agree to trial rule changes aimed at reducing so-called goalkeeper tactical timeouts, in which goalkeepers delay play under the guise of injury or treatment. Multiple outlets report the trial involves measures designed to deter teams from benefiting from stoppages by slowing the restart. One described element is that, after play resumes, the team whose goalkeeper caused the stoppage must remove an outfield player for a set period (reported as one minute). The trial is set to be implemented across top tiers, including the Premier League, English Football League and the National League, with coverage also referencing the Women’s Super League. Several reports say the trial is subject to approval from the International Football Association Board (IFAB), the organisation responsible for Laws of the Game. BBC Sport and others describe the approach as a season-long attempt to eradicate or significantly limit tactical downtime attributed to goalkeeper injury delays. The announcement comes amid fan complaints that opposing goalkeepers frequently go down and prompt referees to pause play, affecting match flow and momentum.