Premier League referees will be able to book players for hair pulling instead of sending them off after a shift in emphasis in the rules for the 2026-2027 season.
Manchester United’s Lisandro Martinez, Everton’s Michael Keane and Sunderland’s Dan Ballard received red cards last season for pulling an opponent’s hair.
United manager Michael Carrick branded Martinez’s dismissal for pulling the hair of Leeds striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin as one of the ‘worst decisions’ he had ever seen.
The offense was previously seen as violent conduct, but has now been modified so that hair pulling “without excessive force and/or cruelty” can be worthy of a yellow card.
The Premier League announced new focus areas for referees for the new season on Friday, following discussions with the top flight’s Game Improvement Advisory Group.
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«A red card will be issued if there is a clear and deliberate action to pull an opponent’s hair with excessive force and/or cruelty. A yellow card will be issued if the action is deemed to have been without excessive force and/or cruelty,» a Premier League statement said.
More attention will also be paid to punishing defenders’ holding on corner kicks and challenging goalkeepers.
This is due to the number of goals scored after possible fouls before the ball was put into play at set pieces.
“Referees will increase the recognition of clear holding actions that have a clear material impact, and/or non-football holding actions that do not fit on the football field,” the statement said.
“This includes punishing defenders who are clearly only focused on opponents and performing a holding action that impacts the attacker’s ability to play or challenge for the ball.
“Challenges against goalkeepers are penalized when an attacking player takes a clear action without the intention to play or challenge for the ball, resulting in contact that affects the goalkeeper’s ability to play or challenge for the ball.”
Players undergoing on-field injury treatment or assessment must now leave the field for at least one minute, an increase from the previous 30-second limit.
There will be a five-second countdown and restart reversal for delayed throw-ins and goal kicks, while a 10-second time limit has been introduced for players when they are substituted.
If the time limit is exceeded, the substitute may only enter after the first interruption after one minute.
Published on June 12, 2026
