The Professional Game Match Officials Limited in England announced that new rules will be implemented to prevent time wasting by counting all injury time during goal celebrations, substitutions, and injuries. The new regulations aim to increase actual playing time and will take effect at the start of the football season next Friday. In a statement released last Friday, the referees' committee said, "During the upcoming season, exact time lost during match events will be counted, including time for goals, celebrations, substitutions, injuries, and treatment."
Additionally, any lost minutes during penalty kicks or when a player leaves the field after receiving a red card will also be added to the stoppage time. Referees will adopt a stricter approach to deliberate time-wasting actions, such as not respecting the required distance before free kicks or refusing treatment off the field. The use of multiple balls will also be employed to facilitate swift play resuming with a substitute ball when the primary ball goes out of play.
