Premier League referees will be able to caution players for hair pulling from the 2026-27 season, following the unveiling of new guidelines.
This marks a significant shift, as the act was previously categorised as violent conduct, warranting a red card from the start of the 2025-26 campaign.
Last season, three players in the English top flight were dismissed for hair pulling. Under the updated guidelines, a hair pull “without excessive force and/or brutality” will now warrant a yellow card.
However, a red card will still be issued “when there is a clear and deliberate action to pull an opponent’s hair with excessive force and/or brutality.”
These changes are among several new directives to be implemented by Premier League officials. There will be a heightened focus on penalising holding by defenders during corners and challenges on goalkeepers where an attacking player shows no intent to play the ball.
The Premier League’s announcement on Friday detailed these updated refereeing priorities, which emerged from discussions with the top flight’s Game Improvement Advisory Group (GIAG). The group specifically highlighted the desire to refine the punishment for hair pulling.
A Premier League statement further clarified: “Referees will enhance recognition of clear holding actions that have clear material impact, and/or non-footballing holding actions with no place on football pitch.
“This includes penalising defenders where they are clearly only focused on opponents and making a holding action that is impactful on the attacker’s ability to play or challenge for the ball.
“Challenges on goalkeepers will be penalised where an attacking player makes a clear action with no intent to play or challenge for the ball which results in contact that impacts the ability of the goalkeeper to play or challenge for the ball.”
A ‘less is more’ approach will persist for handball decisions, while deliberate attempts to deceive officials will be robustly addressed. For the 2026-27 season, Premier League referees will maintain a high threshold for penalising fouls and for VAR intervention, meaning on-field decisions will stand unless there is clear and obvious evidence of an error.
Improvements to VAR efficiency are also expected, including enhanced use of semi-automated offside technology to reduce delays. There will also be a focus on the in-stadium VAR experience and robust measures to curb time-wasting and disruptive tactics.
Several amendments to the laws of the game are also set to be introduced. Players receiving on-field injury treatment or assessment will now be required to leave the field for a minimum of one minute – an increase from the previous 30-second limit.
A five-second countdown and restart reversal will be introduced for delayed throw-ins and goal kicks, alongside a 10-second time limit imposed on players being substituted. Should this limit be exceeded, the replacement player cannot enter until the first stoppage of play after one minute has elapsed.
A new worldwide addition will see VAR reviews permissible for second yellow cards that lead to a red card, though a review will not occur for a potential second yellow card itself.
