The nonsense of throwing yourself to the ground to disrupt the flow is over. The Premier League approved a set of rules for the 2026-27 season aimed directly at specialists in wasting time.
The hardest blow: anyone who receives medical attention on the pitch must stay off for a full minute, no excuses. Substitutions will also have a limit: 10 seconds to leave the field, and if you don’t comply, your replacement waits until the next stoppage.
Throw-ins and goal kicks are now against a 5-second clock. And there’s one that will spark laughter in every stadium: pulling an opponent’s hair with excessive force will be a straight red, according to Sky Sports. The football of dirty tricks has its days numbered.