The Premier League is introducing four new rule changes for the 2023/24 season to address a number of issues affecting the current state of football in England’s top-flight.
The new campaign kicks-off in five weeks time as newly-promoted side Burnley host reigning champions Manchester City at Turf Moor with former blue Vincent Kompany taking on his old side as manager.
The rule changes are nothing significant and best described as slight tweaks, with VAR remaining untouched despite an increased amount of fan dissatisfaction in regards to the technology last season.
Here are the four new additions to the Premier League rule book for next season:
Offside
The new law states that “a player who is clearly offside should not become onside on every occasion when an opponent moves and touches the ball.”
This has been introduced to make offside decisions for VAR easier and it’s no longer a guarantee that a player will be deemed onside if the ball is touched by an opponent first.
There was a lot of uncertainty surrounding the offside rule last season and this should help to clarify things further.
Unsporting behaviour
Starting in 2023/24, players will now be able to avoid a card – even if they’ve committed a foul – if the referee deems they made a deliberate and genuine attempt to play the ball.
This is one of the more significant changes, especially when concerning the last man fouling a striker to prevent a clear cut, goalscoring opportunity.
Referees would usually show a straight red card in this case, but defenders could now go without punishment.
Goalkeeper sportsmanship
This change may as well be deemed the ‘Emi Martinez rule’.
Goalkeepers will now face punishment if they attempt to distract an opposition player during a penalty shootout. They can no longer delay the spot-kick by touching the woodwork.
However, the change doesn’t indicate if a goalkeeper rapidly waving their arms could be seen as illegal.
Adding time for prolonged goal celebrations
One of football’s biggest talking points has always been time-wasting and there have even been shouts to include a stop clock, but starting this season there will be additional time added from goal celebrations.
This balances the playing field and gives the opposition a lifeline if an injury time goal is scored and time is running out.
These four rules should see a positive impact on the game this season.
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