EFL referees given new instructions on fouls, time wasting and player behaviour

[phantom]

English Football League referees will be told to increase their threshold of fouls, cut down on time wasting and ensure player behaviour does not overstep the mark ahead of the new season.

The PA news agency understands the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), the governing body of match officials in England, is committed to making the EFL a better product for the forthcoming campaign, which gets under way this weekend.

It has worked with clubs, the EFL, the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) and League Managers Association (LMA) to ensure the key decisions made are acceptable to everyone in the game.

Officials have been instructed to adopt a higher threshold for penalising contact in challenges, taking into account how much contact there was, the consequences of it and what the attacking player’s motivation was. They will also be more vigilant of sustained holding at set-pieces.

After the 2021-22 campaign saw less playing time than ever before, referees will also be more proactive in curbing time-wasting and will be prepared to sanction players early on in the game.Participation behaviour will also be strongly managed to ensure incidents of dissent and other poor behaviour are stamped out.

As well as the introduction of five substitutions this season, there is also a minor law change which sees goalkeepers now allowed to have one foot behind the goalline when facing a penalty.

Although last season’s play-off finals at Wembley had VAR, the decision-review system will not be in place for the forthcoming campaign.The PGMOL is on a FIFA Working Group to help develop ‘VAR Light’ and its possible use, and that would be offered to the EFL if collectively the clubs in each division vote to implement it.

That would not be a quick thing to happen, though, with around 12 months needed to set it up.The EFL campaign kicks off on Friday with Huddersfield hosting Burnley in the Championship.

TAKEN FROM : https://www.itv.com/football/articles/efl-referees-given-new-instructions-on-fouls-time-wasting-and-player

 

[NorthBris_Southstand]

21 minutes ago, phantom said:

After the 2021-22 campaign saw less playing time than ever before, referees will also be more proactive in curbing time-wasting and will be prepared to sanction players early on in the game.Participation behaviour will also be strongly managed to ensure incidents of dissent and other poor behaviour are stamped out.

Really hope that they do crack down on this, it frustrates me so much! I know it's seen as 'good game management' these days as if it's something to be applauded. But as a paying spectator, it really does ruin the spectacle of what you come to see; two teams actually playing football against each other!

Edited July 28, 2022 by NorthBris_Southstand
Used the word actually too much.

[View from the Dolman]

22 minutes ago, phantom said:

The PA news agency understands the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), the governing body of match officials in England, is committed to making the EFL a better product for the forthcoming campaign, which gets under way this weekend.

It has worked with clubs, the EFL, the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) and League Managers Association (LMA) to ensure the key decisions made are acceptable to everyone in the game.

"Everyone in the game"? Feels like they've forgotten one group to me - but that's no surprise as the EFL (and the seemingly impenetrable PGMOL too) have always taken a blinkered approach to fan comments regarding match officials.

[chinapig]

3 minutes ago, NorthBris_Southstand said:

Really hope that they do crack down on this, it frustrates me so much! I know it's seen as 'good game management' these days as if it's something to be applauded. But as a paying spectator, it really does ruin the spectacle of what you come to see; two teams actually playing football against each other!

I'm not going to hold my breath. There have been numerous "clampdowns" over the years that have been forgotten after the first game.

Remember the alleged clampdown on holding at set pieces? Yet a player can still wrap their arms around an opponent at a corner, drag him to the ground even, and referees don't bat an eyelid.

[MSN Red]

I hope these rules are applied consistently by all the referees.  I hope referees that continue to give fouls for the slightest contact ( E.g. Oliver Langford) are told by the assessors and made to change. In reality I am not expecting this to happen and the fussy, poor refereeing we see most weeks will continue.

 

[A Horse With No Name]

The thing that annoys me most, is players sheilding the ball usually near a touchline, then throwing themselves to the floor. Free kick every time even though there is no contact and the ref is blindside. Hopefully this 'motivation' instruction will stamp this out as there is absolutely no motivation to foul in those instances.

[Barrs Court Red]

1 hour ago, chinapig said:

I'm not going to hold my breath. There have been numerous "clampdowns" over the years that have been forgotten after the first game.

Remember the alleged clampdown on holding at set pieces? Yet a player can still wrap their arms around an opponent at a corner, drag him to the ground even, and referees don't bat an eyelid.

Aye, we seemingly hear this every other year. Refs are hot on it for the first week and then normal service is gradually resumed. 

[AppyDAZE]

12 minutes ago, The Horse With No Name said:

The thing that annoys me most, is players sheilding the ball usually near a touchline, then throwing themselves to the floor. Free kick every time even though there is no contact and the ref is blindside. Hopefully this 'motivation' instruction will stamp this out as there is absolutely no motivation to foul in those instances.

Defenders facing their own goal, feeling "contact" and dropping to the ground is for me the most annoying thing in the game.

[downendcity]

1 hour ago, chinapig said:

I'm not going to hold my breath. There have been numerous "clampdowns" over the years that have been forgotten after the first game.

Remember the alleged clampdown on holding at set pieces? Yet a player can still wrap their arms around an opponent at a corner, drag him to the ground even, and referees don't bat an eyelid.

Holding at set pieces is a bug bear of mine too.

You're right, there was a clamp down on this a few seasons ago. IIRC there was a flurry of penalty decisions at the outset, but it seemed that after managers started complaining the "initiative" quickly died a death.

Watching last night's semi final even before a corner was taken the defenders have their arms wrapped around the attacker to stop them moving.Im guessing these tactics are coached into defenders so I can imagine there will be resistance from managers and coaches if referees do clamp down and teams start conceding penalties for offending, or start conceding more goals if they are not allowed to continue holding tactics.