The new season of the English Premier League 2024-2025 is set to start tomorrow, Friday, with some anticipated changes for this renowned competition. The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology will continue to be implemented for another season, following efforts from Wolverhampton to abolish it during the annual general meeting of the Premier League association.
The new initiative emphasizes the importance of the principle of "referees making decisions," with the association wanting VAR officials to intervene in subjective decisions only if there is a clear and evident error on the pitch, after reviewing easily accessible evidence. Efforts have also been made to improve communication between technical officials and match referees, with visuals and graphics explaining the reasons for disallowing a goal still shown on big screens in the stadiums.
Disallowed goals that have been approved by VAR this season will also be displayed on the pitch, along with goals that have been checked causing delays in the resumption of matches. The league has also established a new account on "X," where "live" updates of goals will be provided after they have been checked by VAR.
### Added Time
Referees will continue to calculate added time accurately due to stoppages in play, with one slight modification: the first 30 seconds after a goal is scored will not be added to the end of the first half. However, any subsequent celebratory time or time taken for VAR checks will be added. The association believes this will reduce the average length of the match by 1 minute and 38 seconds.
### Offside
Semi-automatic offside technology will be another time-saving measure, estimated to reduce the average offside check by 31 seconds, and it is expected to be more accurate than hand-drawn video lines. However, this technology will not be ready at the beginning of the season. The league has committed to introducing it after one of the international match calendar breaks in the fall, likely starting in October.
### Handball
From now on, a yellow card will be issued if a player denies a clear goal-scoring opportunity with a handball, provided the handball is not deemed intentional. Penalty kicks will be awarded for any handball infractions within the penalty area. Regarding other handball incidents, Howard Webb, head of the referees committee, acknowledges that there were cases last season where players were penalized even when their arms were in a reasonable position for the actions taken, which he wants to change.
Other factors that referees will consider this season regarding potential handball offenses include proximity to the ball and whether the arm was used for support during a fall, or if the player deflected or played the ball with their arm while there was a clear change in the ball's trajectory.
### Penalty Area
Another rule change concerns players entering the penalty area during penalty kicks, where offenders will only be penalized if they are deemed to have affected the penalty in some way, similar to how goalkeepers are penalized. In the past, referees would order a penalty to be retaken if players (attackers and defenders) encroached, but now referees will look for impact. Therefore, if attackers and defenders encroach but only the attacker has a tangible impact, an indirect free kick will be awarded instead of a retake.
### Participant Conduct
The English Premier League feels that criticisms aimed at VAR from players, coaches, and clubs have been detrimental. The league sought advice on this issue during the relatively peaceful summer and called on clubs and staff to exercise restraint. Richard Masters, the league's CEO, stated, "We have asked clubs for patience in correcting things. VAR has only been implemented for five years. It takes time. Football is relatively new to technology. I think it will take some time before technology is fully integrated."
Those unable to control themselves should be aware of the increased regulatory powers now available to deal with disrespectful comments. On the pitch, the league will adhere to the model used last season for handling protests against decisions, rather than adopting UEFA's approach, which allows only team leaders to speak to referees when issues arise. Rushing towards and confronting referees, as well as disrespectful behavior towards them, will clearly result in a yellow card. The campaign from last season is yet to settle down; 173 yellow cards were issued for protesting refereeing decisions last season, compared to 79 in the 2022-2023 season.
