Premier League referees will crack down on players holding their opponents at set pieces this season.
Incidents in which players hold opponents with both arms, are focused on their opponent instead of challenging for the ball, and where holding affects the attacker’s movement can expect to result in the awarding of fouls, leading to a penalty for offences inside the area.
Penalty awards will continue to be checked by VARs, who will be able to overturn the decision if they believe there has been a clear mistake by the on-field officials.
The tough new line on holding follows feedback from Premier League clubs who believe that referees have been too lenient in this area in recent seasons. Players have been informed about the new approach.
Referees have also been told to toughen up on simulation, including when players exaggerate the impact of challenges, such as when there has been contact to the chest but they go down holding their head.
Officials will continue to operate a high threshold for VAR interventions and the “referee’s call” will stand unless the video official believes there has been a clear and obvious error. The average VAR delay last season was down to 39 seconds in the Premier League, compared with 64 seconds in the 2023-24 campaign.
An independent panel found there were 103 correct VAR interventions last season and only five incorrect
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Top-flight matches will also have semi-automated offside technology, with replays shown on TV and big screens.
Referees will also make announcements about VAR decisions via stadium speaker systems, apart from offside and onside decisions which are viewed as being obvious.
Findings by an independent panel which looks at Premier League refereeing performances showed there were 103 correct VAR interventions last season, five incorrect and 13 missed interventions.
A period of silence will be held before all Premier League matches this weekend to mark the deaths of the Liverpool forward, Diogo Joga, and his brother, André Silva, in a car accident last month.
Meanwhile, the Premier League will hold weekly meetings with Uefa about scheduling as there are nine English clubs in European competitions, which has created huge challenges with fixtures.
Players will continue taking the knee at two match rounds in October to promote the No Room For Racism campaign, after a meeting of club captains.