Last season saw three Premier League players sent off for hair pulling, and referees will now apply a different standard when judging the offence next season.
Michael Keane of Everton, Manchester United’s Lisandro Martinez, and Sunderland’s Dan Ballard all received red cards following VAR interventions for the offence during the 2025-26 campaign.
Stockport County defender Josh Dacres-Cogley was also dismissed for hair pulling during the League One play-off final, highlighting how widely the issue had spread.
From 2026-27, officials will be instructed to consider both the level of force involved and the intention behind the action before reaching for a red card.
Referees will specifically look for a “clear and deliberate action” which has “excessive force and/or brutality” before dismissing a player for the offence.
Under the new guidance, Keane would likely still be sent off for holding and pulling the hair of Wolves’ Tolu Arokodare, which was deemed violent conduct.
However, the incidents involving Ballard and Dacres-Cogley would probably be judged as yellow-card offences rather than dismissals under the updated approach.
United manager Michael Carrick had called the decision against Martinez “one of worst decisions I’ve seen” but was unable to overturn the three-match ban on appeal.
The changes are intended to give greater latitude to players who may accidentally make contact with an opponent’s hair during a challenge.
Everton manager David Moyes had been equally vocal in his criticism, claiming Keane had been banned for “absolutely nothing” after his dismissal earlier in the season.
The Premier League AGM earlier this month agreed on these measures following consultation with the game improvement advisory group, forming part of the refereeing points of emphasis for the upcoming campaign.
A match between Everton and Manchester United in March was a particular flashpoint for set-piece chaos, with holding, grappling, and pushing inside the penalty area rampant throughout.
Moyes himself said of the problem: “You get the feeling now that referees really don’t want to get involved in any of it. It’s really poor that they’ve not tried to deal with it.”
The incident saw Leny Yoro pushed into the net by James Tarkowski, while Harry Maguire also became embroiled in the chaos during the same game.
Referees next season will be told to penalise “holding actions that have clear material impact” and players who are “clearly only focused on opponents and making a holding action.”
Challenges on goalkeepers will also be penalised where there is no clear intent to play or challenge for the ball, providing more protection for shot-stoppers.
The game improvement advisory group also turned its attention to the goalkeeper “tactical timeout,” with 85% of survey respondents identifying it as a significant problem.
The tactic involves a goalkeeper sitting on the turf to signal for the physio while outfield players rush to the touchline for instructions, disrupting the opposition’s momentum.
Players at the World Cup have already been banned from approaching the touchline to prevent this tactic, and the Premier League is now working on its own solution ahead of the new season.
General timewasting by goalkeepers was flagged as an issue by 73% of survey respondents, and a new law has been introduced to address it directly.
Under the new rule, referees can begin a five-second countdown if a goalkeeper delays a goal-kick restart, with the opposition awarded a corner if time expires.
The annual football survey, sent to captains, coaches, commentators, and other stakeholders, also revealed that 68% would support live audio and footage of VAR reviews being made available.
The Premier League confirmed it will not be adopting the competition opt-in allowing VAR to check corners, despite that measure being in place at the World Cup, with the key theme from the survey being the slow speed of VAR decisions.
