Premier League to curb controversial goalkeeper tactic, what Sunderland fans need to know | OneFootball

Sunderland fans will see new refereeing measures when the Premier League returns next month, led by a goalkeeper injury trial in 2026/27.

The Premier League said in a statement that IFAB had approved the trial across the men’s and women’s professional game in England to preserve tempo and curb misuse of stoppages for momentum or tactical instruction.

When a goalkeeper receives physio treatment, the head coach must nominate an outfield player to leave for one minute once play restarts. Exceptions apply if the keeper is fouled and needs immediate treatment, is bleeding, or collides with an opponent. The trial will be reviewed during the season before any decision on making it permanent.

Further tempo steps include a five-second countdown for delaying opposition set plays and a 10-second limit for players to leave when substituted, both used at the recent World Cup.

A new threshold for hair-pulling follows contentious reds last season, including Sunderland’s Dan Ballard at Molineux. Yellow will apply without excessive force or brutality, red only for clear, deliberate pulling with excessive force or brutality.

Referees will be more robust on holding at set plays and on blocks that impede a goalkeeper’s movement, while continuing a restrained approach to handball.

VAR can now review incidents where a second yellow leads to a red, but will not intervene over potential second yellows. The league has also declined to widen VAR’s scope to issues such as wrongly awarded corners.

Source: Sunderland Echo