EPL rewrites rules: Hair pulling no longer guaranteed sending-off

LONDON, June 13 — The English Premier League said on Friday that pulling an opponent’s hair will not automatically result in a red card under revised refereeing guidelines for next season.

The league said in a statement that a red card will apply only when hair pulling is carried out with “excessive force and/or brutality”.

Incidents deemed deliberate but not involving excessive force will instead be punished with a yellow card.

The clarification follows red cards shown last season to Manchester United’s Lisandro Martinez, Everton’s Michael Keane and Sunderland’s Dan Ballard for pulling opponents’ hair.

The change forms part of a broader update on how referees will interpret and apply the Laws of the Game during the upcoming campaign.

The Premier League also said holding offences will come under greater scrutiny, with referees encouraged to penalise non-footballing actions that have a material impact on opponents.

Match officials will also place greater emphasis on protecting goalkeepers by penalising players who initiate contact without a genuine attempt to play the ball if it affects a goalkeeper’s ability to challenge for it. — Reuters