The Premier League have confirmed the introduction of new rules ahead of the new 2024/2025 club football season in England.
With the Premier League kick-off fast approaching, in a bid to improve player conduct, maintain fair play, and improve the game’s flow, the Premier League has announced a number of new rules and changes for the 2024–2025 season. These are the main adjustments:
The new Premier League substitute rule
The number of substitutes permitted to warm up simultaneously on the outside of the pitch during a game has increased from three to five players per club as of this season, which is a minor change. This is in line with clubs’ ability to substitute five players at once.
New multiball law in the Premier League
In 2024–2025, the Premier League will once again practise the multiball concept, using 15 balls to expedite play. Players must go to the closest cone and retrieve a replacement ball on their own in order to restart play if the match ball disappears from play and cannot be swiftly recovered. Ball assistance should return the ball to an empty cone instead of giving it back to a player.
A rule exception has been implemented for this season, though, allowing ball assistants who are behind the goals to return a ball to the goalie who will take the restart when the ball goes out. Technical staff members will still be dismissed if they purposefully impede play from starting again by kicking the ball away, clinging onto it, etc. Players who engage in similar behaviour in the technical area will be given a yellow card.
How added time will be calculated in the Premier League next season
Going forward, when a goal is scored, match officials will only add time to the conclusion of the game if there is a 30-second lag between the goal and the next kickoff. This will provide both teams enough natural time to return to their starting positions following each goal.
This adjustment could lead to a notable decrease in stoppage time this season, considering that the average number of goals scored per game during the previous season was 3.28.
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