Premier League targets set-piece chaos with stricter holding rules
New guidelines aim to reduce grappling and holding during corners, following a season where set-pieces accounted for a record 25.7 per cent of goals.
The Premier League has introduced new officiating guidelines designed to curb holding, pushing, and grappling during set-pieces, with the changes taking effect from the season opener on Friday night. The move follows a previous campaign in which set-pieces accounted for a record 25.7 per cent of goals, the highest proportion among Europe’s top leagues. Officials are now instructed to be stronger, stricter, and more ready to penalise clear non-footballing actions that disrupt the flow of play.
Howard Webb, the Premier League’s chief referee, stated that the objective is to shift the focus from warnings to penalised actions. He explained that the new criteria target holding actions that have a clear material impact, specifically where a player is prevented from playing the ball. A key indicator for a foul is a player who is only focusing on the opponent rather than the ball, makes no attempt to challenge for possession, and commits sustained or impactful holding of an opponent or their clothing.
Under the new interpretation, a defender with their back to the set-piece who intends solely to prevent an attacker’s movement will be penalised, even if the ball is not in immediate play. While the fundamental laws of the game remain unchanged, the emphasis is on consistency and reducing reliance on VAR for clear fouls. The Premier League has noted that a quarter of missed VAR interventions last season involved penalties not awarded when players were wrestled to the ground off the ball.
To guide officials, Pro Ref, the referees’ body in England, has briefed players on specific incidents from the previous season that would now constitute penalties. These examples include Brentford’s Keane Lewis-Potter wrestling West Ham’s Tomas Soucek and Sunderland’s Luke O’Nien dragging down Leeds United’s Pascal Struijk. Webb acknowledged that player opinions can be divided on grey areas, citing an incident involving Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi and Bournemouth’s Bafode Diakite, where a penalty was awarded on the field but might have been subject to VAR debate.
The new rules also clarify the treatment of goalkeepers. While holding a goalkeeper’s arm while they attempt to play the ball remains a clear foul, the Premier League will not adopt the stricter World Cup standard regarding bumps to keepers who are not playing the ball. Webb maintained that contact remains part of the game, with a high threshold for disallowing goals. The league aims to influence player tactics through consistent enforcement, hoping to reduce the frequency of physical set-piece routines that have become prevalent in recent seasons.
