Game-Changing Football Season: Brace for Stricter Enforcement, Relaxed Tackling Rules, and Time-Wasting Tactics!
New football season brings rule changes: Expect precise game time tracking, increased tolerance for physical challenges, stricter penalties for dissent, and greater enforcement of managers' presence within the technical area
New refereeing guidelines for the upcoming football season emphasize strict measures against time-wasting, dissent, and stricter monitoring of the bench and technical areas. These guidelines will be effective from the first Championship game on Friday, featuring Sheffield Wednesday against Southampton live on We. As a result, additional minutes at the end of EFL and Premier League matches are expected to consistently exceed ten minutes, similar to the last World Cup in Qatar.
One match official has told We News it will now be a rarity if a top flight game lasts less than 100 minutes.
More accurate game time
Image:
Long stoppage time was added to matches during the World Cup, and we can anticipate a similar scenario in domestic football this season. Concerns among officials have grown due to statistics revealing the minimal amount of time the ball has been in play during professional matches in England. The averages from last season were only 48 minutes in League Two, 50 minutes in League One, 52 minutes in the Championship, and just under 55 minutes in the Premier League.
Additional time will be allocated for goal celebrations, as officials have noticed an increase in their duration and intricacy.
Referees will now be required to precisely time the duration of game interruptions, such as goals, substitutions, injuries, or preparations for a free-kick, before the game resumes.
The EFL will adopt the multi-ball system for all matches, similar to the Premier League, as part of their ongoing efforts to increase the pace of play. Additionally, referees will be instructed to penalize not only the act of kicking the ball away but also other time-wasting actions that are deemed clear and impactful.
Leniency on "physical" challenges
On the pitch, in an effort to enhance the fluidity of the game and minimize interruptions, a stricter criterion will be implemented regarding player "contact" - leading to a decrease in the number of free-kicks given for incidents that, in previous seasons, may have been penalized for excessive physicality.Dissent
The current referee guidelines state that any challenge categorized as "careless" will be considered a foul, while challenges labeled as "reckless" will result in a yellow card. Moreover, if a player jeopardizes the safety of an opponent, they will be sent off.
Image:
If multiple players approach the referee, at least one of them, and perhaps more, will receive an automatic yellow card. This season, the threshold for a player to receive a yellow card for dissent will be lowered.
Policing the technical area
If multiple players approach the referee, one or more of them will be issued a yellow card automatically. Specifically, any player who runs towards the match officials from a distance will be penalized with a booking.
Managers and their backroom staff will face increased scrutiny regarding their behavior. If there is more than one coach in the technical area, an automatic yellow card will be given, and stricter punishments will be imposed on managers who leave their designated area. Coaches displaying aggression towards match officials or opponents will consistently receive a red card. Additionally, any club official who is sent off will no longer be permitted to watch the game from the stands. Instead, they must be situated away from the pitch, ensuring they are out-of-sight.
