Andy Robertson Finds a Loophole in New Five-Second Throw-In Rule
At the 2026 World Cup, Scotland captain Andy Robertson found a way to get around one of football’s new rules, the five-second limit on taking throw-ins. The incident happened during Scotland’s win over Haiti, in a game played overnight between Saturday and Sunday.
The new regulation, introduced for the tournament, gives a player only five seconds from the moment he is holding the ball in his hands. According to the British Sun, Robertson, who has recently joined Tottenham, used a creative workaround by placing the ball on the ground and waiting until he and his teammates were ready. The paper called it a “genius trick.”
The move quickly went viral and triggered mixed reactions online. Some fans said it showed how a rule meant to make football more entertaining was immediately neutralized by teams. One commenter said it was “a new way to cheat and waste time,” while another praised Robertson as “very clever” and said the moment deserved respect from a defender.
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