A number of adjustments have been made to how officials will referee games in the Premier League this season. Here are five of the most prominent changes.
- Handball Rule 1- Players won’t be penalised for accidental handball in the build-up to goals unless the use of the hand plays a key part in the goal being scored.
- Handball Rule 2 – The word “unnatural” has been removed from the law for handballs in the penalty box, meaning referees are given greater scope to determine what is deliberate.
- Contact For Penalties – Contact with an opponent is no longer enough to award a penalty. There must be no doubt in the referee’s mind that the contact impeded the progress of the attacking player before a foul is given.
- VAR Offsides – Referees will now use 5cm wide lines to determine offsides which should lead to at least 20 more goals being scored across the season.
- The ‘Kane Manouevre’ Is Outlawed – The referee will penalise players who deliberately back into an opponent when they are jumping for the ball.
There are also some other minor alterations, including assistant referees putting their flags up earlier for offsides, while VAR won’t show lines being drawn for tight offsides. All of these will be seen in action when the new campaign begins this weekend.
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