The Premier League has introduced several changes to the laws of the game this season, with Howard Webb clarifying the modified rules ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.
Howard Webb, head of the refereeing organization PGMOL, addressed the reduced number of penalties for handball in the Premier League this season. He explained that referees have relaxed their approach following feedback from teams about the excessive number of handball calls.
Last season, a notable 108 penalties were awarded, prompting complaints from clubs about the harshness of handball decisions, especially when a player’s arm was seen as being in a natural position. Changes to the handball rule now result in fewer penalties for unintentional handballs or when the arm is close to the body.
Significant revisions also include the issuance of yellow cards instead of reds for players who unintentionally obstruct a clear goal-scoring chance with handball. Webb elaborated on these modifications to the handball rule during an appearance on Match Officials Mic’d Up.
Webb, 53, stated: “We consulted with lots of stakeholders in the game during the latter part of last season, and the message we were being given is there’s clearly too many handball penalties being given in the English game in the Premier League for situations where players are playing fairly normally and naturally [where] we know players’ arms move.”
This change has been noticeable in the ongoing season. He continued: “So we said to the officials [to] look out for those situations where a player either deliberately handles the ball or has an arm that’s well away from the body.
“We have seen situations where the ball has hit an arm in the penalty area this season, but the referees have applied what we asked them to, and they’ve stepped away in terms of handball unless it’s deliberate or very clearly unjustifiable.”
Additionally, this season has featured a significant decrease in VAR interventions, with reviews occurring only when the referee’s on-field decision is clearly wrong.
Improved communication is part of the changes, including the new practice of displaying disallowed goals on stadium big screens.
Despite these updates, controversies regarding VAR have arisen this season. A notable incident involved Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes against Tottenham, where he received a red card for a clash with James Maddison; the decision remained despite VAR officials observing that Fernandes slipped before the contact.
However, his red card was later rescinded following an appeal. This incident follows a June vote by Premier League clubs, including Liverpool and Everton, to retain VAR, with only Wolves opposing the continuation of the technology.
