EFL publish ‘Rules and Changes’ for 2024/25 but fans can’t see it lasting beyond August

EFL publish a list of the ‘Rules and Changes’ for the 2024/25 season, but fans social media say they can’t see it lasting beyond August.

Yep it’s that time of the year again, with just days to go until it all begins, we check out and remind ourselves of the rules.

PGMOL and the EFL have given a summary of the key laws of the game changes and measures the match officials will be implementing, as you can see below….

Ahead of the new @EFL season kicking off on Friday, here’s a summary of the key laws of the game changes and measures our match officials will be implementing in 24/25

— PGMOL (@FA_PGMOL) August 7, 2024

EFL STATEMENT:

The new season is almost upon us and here’s what to expect from a match officiating point of view during the 2024/25 campaign.

While maintaining a robust approach to dealing with unacceptable behaviour and delaying the restart of play – measures that were introduced for 2023/24 – officials will also be implementing changes to the Laws of the Game, as laid out by The IFAB, for the forthcoming campaign.

A summary of these key changes, including updates to an element of denial of an obvious goal-scoring opportunity and the penalty-kick process, are below:

Denial of an obvious goal-scoring opportunity (DOGSO)

When an outfield player denies the opposing team a goal or an obvious goal-scoring opportunity by deliberately handling the ball and a penalty kick is awarded, the player will be sent off.

However, when an outfield player denies the opposing team a goal or an obvious goal-scoring opportunity by committing a handball offence whereby they make themselves unjustifiably bigger but without deliberate movement of the hand / arm to the ball and the referee awards a penalty kick, it will now result in a caution rather than a red card.

Deliberate handball + DOGSO = penalty + red card

Non-deliberate handball yet body unjustifiably bigger + DOGSO = penalty + caution

Penalty kick process – encroachment

A player’s position at a restart is determined by the position of their feet or any part of their body which is touching the ground, except as outlined in Law 11 (Offside).

The change for 2024/25 means that players who do not impact will not be penalised and, therefore, the same principle as goalkeeper encroachment will now apply to all players.

Examples of impact include:

– Defender clearly distracts / impacts the taker

– Attacker clearly distracts / impacts the goalkeeper

– Ball rebounds and defender prevents goal or goal-scoring opportunity

– Ball rebounds and attacker scores, attempts to score or creates goal-scoring opportunity

Alongside implementing the aforementioned law changes, officials will once again have the full support of the football authorities to deliver the stronger measures that were introduced ahead of last season, including maintaining a robust approach to dealing with participant behaviour when it falls below expected standards, both on the field and in the technical area.

Looking to maintain an average of nine minutes of enhanced ball in-play time across the three divisions during 2023/24 season (up 9% on 2022/23), the exact time lost when certain game events occur will again be added. Events considered for this include goals and celebrations – a slight change for 2024/25 will see time added after an initial 30 seconds has elapsed. For example, if a goal and the subsequent celebration takes one minute, officials will add on 30 seconds at the end of the relevant half. Time lost for substitutions, injuries requiring treatment, penalties and red cards will also be included.

To support the accurate calculation of additional time, stadium clocks, scoreboards or giant screen timings will continue to run until the completion of each half, including any additional time at the end of the first or second half.

Clear and deliberate actions that are impactful in delaying the restart of play will also see players cautioned.

While protecting player safety will continue to be of paramount importance, the flow and tempo of the English game will again be recognised with match officials adopting a high threshold for penalising challenges with the emphasis on not all contact constitutes a foul.

As per 2023/24, players who require assessment on the pitch for a potential injury will receive treatment off the field of play, apart from certain circumstances as laid out in Law 5 of the Laws of the Game:

– A goalkeeper is injured

– A goalkeeper and an outfield player have collided and need attention

– Players from the same team have collided and need attention

– A severe injury has occurred

– A player is injured as the result of a physical offence for which the opponent is cautioned or sent off (e.g., reckless or serious foul challenge), if the assessment/treatment is completed quickly

– A penalty has been awarded and the injured player will be the taker

After the restart of play, a period of time – not less than 30 seconds – will be afforded for the player to be treated and they will not return to the pitch before this period has elapsed. As always, the player’s return to the pitch requires the referee’s permission and may be delayed beyond 30 seconds if the phase of play is in the vicinity of the player looking to re-enter the pitch.

In circumstances where a player declines the physio, if a team-mate clearly delays or refuses to re-start the game that team-mate will be issued a yellow card. This will promote player safety, which is of paramount importance to the match officials, and act as a deterrent to players who request attention as a tactic to waste time or break the momentum of the game.

Handball is a subjective judgement and not every touch of a player’s hand / arm with the ball is an offence, with hand/arm position being judged in relation to body movement in that particular situation.

What constitutes a handball offence:

Arm movement

– Deliberate movement of the arm towards the ball

Arm position

– Makes body unjustifiably bigger

Mitigating factors:

– Justifiable position/action

– Supportive arm when player falls

– Player plays ball onto own arm

– Clear change of trajectory when touched by the same player

– Played by a team-mate

– Proximity

Holding is a continued area of emphasis and situations will be penalised when it’s sustained and has a clear impact on the opponent’s opportunity to play or challenge for the ball, including those non-footballing actions.

What to look for:

– Both arms is usually an offence, unless it’s not sustained and/or no clear impact

– One arm is usually an offence, if clear impact

– Shirt holding is usually an offence, unless it’s slight, short, or no clear impact

– Holding while focusing solely on the opponent and paying no attention to challenging for the ball (non-footballing action) is usually an offence

– Mutual holding is usually no offence

EFL publish ‘Rules and Changes’ for 2024/25 but fans can’t see it lasting beyond August…

@damnberry: Absolutely brilliant if these rules could be enforced September onwards 👍 rather than just being August’s ruleset

@Jordrl66: Give it till start of September and all of this will be forgotten like what usually happens

@Jordrl66: Only an attempt if they actually go through with it like every year. How many times have we seen this and that will be focus but come September it’s completely back to how it was. Time wasting was one last year. Also good luck seeing any bit of consistency on the holding calls

@boothysl91: Another one where Officials will pick and choose instances to give fouls, depending on the colour of the kit 😂👍

@Blacky0114: It’ll probably be cracked down on in August, less so in September before being completely forgotten about by mid October! Just like the yellow cards for indiscipline last season.

@BurndenAces: Well, here’s the annual post about rules which will last a fortnight. Expect 25 minutes of stoppage time and three red cards on Saturday. #BWFC #LOFC #EFL

@cjames203: That’s fucked that then

@CallumDowst: seriously still keeping the 30 second rule of waiting after being injured to come back on ffs 😭😭😭

@1JonDavies1988: Should have done it years ago but it won’t last and they will have forgot at all about it by September like normal.

@bulmer1889: Of course this depends on who’s holding who 🙄

@AlanR57: In other words it’s down to the numpty in charge. Just make holing in the penalty area a penalty or free kick the other way just like anywhere else on the pitch. Some refs will check the colour of the shirt first as usual. Make it black and white so it can’t be fudged.

@colethegunner: You should be making it HARDER to get a penalty not easier ffs.

@AndyWanderers: Any chance of a bit of competent use of VAR?

@StKev25111: No need for rules the refs just make them up as they go from game to game

@james_sd_uk: In other words. The refs will continue to make it up as they go along.

@wba_jacob: will the referees actually follow these or will they forget after the opening 3 games?

@cooley1972: Can someone explain to refs and refs on VAR that the rules need to be applied the same to all teams

@crowhurstsr: Is one of the new measures competency ?

@Vaughanie10: ‘Non-deliberate handball yet body unjustifiably bigger + DOGSO = penalty + caution “… Surely, if the handball is ‘non-deliberate,’ it’s accidental & therefore no offence has occurred…??? This just encourages attackers to hit the ball at the hand/arm of defenders.. Defending with your arms behind your back is NOT a natural action & players should not be penalised for making themselves bigger.. Any infringement should only occur if the defender makes a DELIBERATE & INTENTIONAL move with arm/hand to stop the trajectory of the ball .. You people just make things much harder than they really need to be.. INTENTIONAL/DELIBERATE action = penalty & 🟥.. NON-DELIBERATE/UNINTENTIONAL ACTION = no offence, play on.. simples.. Same with offside.. clear day light between attacker/defender otherwise ONSIDE.. common sense in my eyes.. 🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️

Good to see an attempt to get a grip on what we call grappling (I think I was among the first to coin that word!)
Apart from being foul play, it’s a blight on the spectacle of FOOTball. https://t.co/6vaOZdscuZ pic.twitter.com/U7L2D9iRT8

— Alan Biggs (@AlanBiggs1) August 7, 2024