Andy Robertson's "trick" that bypassed FIFA's new rules

The Scotland national team opened the 2026 World Cup on the right foot with a valuable 1-0 victory over the Haiti national team, thanks to a goal by John McGinn, which temporarily lifted them to the top of Group C (ahead of the tough encounters against Brazil and Morocco). For the Scots, this is their first World Cup win since their 2-1 victory over Sweden in the 1990 World Cup. However, on social media, everyone is talking about a particular move made by the captain, Andy Robertson, who discovered a clever "loophole."

Just a few days before the tournament's opening whistle, the International Football Association Board (IFAB) approved a series of revolutionary rules designed to increase the pace of the game and prevent time-wasting. The most prominent of these is the 5-second rule: referees visibly count down with their hand when a throw-in or goal kick is awarded. If a player does not take the throw-in within 5 seconds, the ball is given to the opposing team (for a goal kick, the punishment is a corner kick for the opposition).

How do you beat the clock?

During the tense closing moments of the match against Haiti, when the Scots wanted to preserve their narrow lead, Robertson demonstrated quick thinking. Instead of rushing to pick up the ball from the ground, and worry about the referee’s 5-second count, the Scottish defender simply stood still, began shouting and signaling to his teammates to take their positions, and only after everyone was completely ready, did he physically pick up the ball.

The reason? The referee’s 5-second clock only starts ticking once the player holds the ball or places it down. By leaving the ball on the grass while he organized the lines, Robertson managed to waste precious seconds without risking losing possession.

Comments online: "It took them exactly three days"

Robertson's tactic immediately went viral and sparked heated debates among soccer fans: "A new rule to stop time-wasting... and within 7 matches of the tournament, the teams have already found the loophole to keep wasting time. Brilliant," one user wrote.

"It just perfectly sums up modern football," wrote a fan on X. "They introduce a new rule to make the game more exciting, and teams find a way around it instantly."

Another commenter added: "This is exactly the kind of sophistication and cunning we need at Tottenham."

"Very clever, I have no doubt we’ll see this from all the teams now," another fan summed up. "That’s probably why FIFA introduced these rules only two days before the tournament, so there wouldn’t be enough time to prepare for them."