The Premier League will take a tougher stance on holding and grappling at set pieces this season, with referees instructed to pay greater attention to actions that have a clear impact on play.

🇳🇬 Here's What Happened

Although the laws of the game remain unchanged, officials across the Premier League, English Football League and Women’s Super League have been told to take stronger action against deliberate holding, particularly when it prevents opponents from competing for the ball or moving into dangerous positions.

The focus will be on what officials describe as “non-footballing holding actions”, instances where a player is only focused on an opponent, makes no attempt to play the ball, uses both arms to hold an opponent, or persistently holds a player or their clothing.

Under the renewed approach, defenders who turn their backs to an incoming corner or free-kick and deliberately hold an attacker to prevent their movement could be penalised.

📌 Key Details

As reported by BBC Sport on Thursday, Premier League referees’ chief Howard Webb said officials had been encouraged to act decisively rather than repeatedly issuing warnings.

“We’re trying to get the officials to be as confident as they can be to penalise what they see.

“So fewer warnings, more actions penalised, and if there’s any reduction in offences being penalised it should be a result of a modification of player behaviour rather than us no longer applying it,” Webb added.

The tougher approach follows concerns over missed VAR interventions last season. Of the 20 missed interventions identified, a quarter involved penalties that were not awarded after players were wrestled to the ground away from the ball.

However, Webb stressed that the Premier League would not adopt an excessively strict approach to physical contact, particularly involving goalkeepers.

The league will maintain a high threshold for contact, meaning ordinary bumps will not automatically result in a goal being ruled out. But a goalkeeper whose movement is clearly restricted, such as having an arm held back, could still be penalised.

📰 Source: Punch Nigeria