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What to expect from match officials in 2025/26

clive
clive Posts: 19,441
in Other Football and Sports

With the 2025/26 season almost upon us, here’s what to expect from match officials across the professional game in England.

Match officials will be empowered this season to:

  • Apply changes to updated Laws of the Game, including key changes affecting goalkeepers, dropped ball restarts and penalty-kick procedures
  • Continue to take a robust approach to participant behaviour, including player conduct and technical area discipline, with a new emphasis on applying the ‘Captains Only’ approach
  • Protect player welfare, especially around head injuries, while deterring tactics designed to delay or disrupt the game
  • Maintain a high threshold for penalising challenges, recognising that not all contact is a foul, while ensuring player safety

A summary of the key IFAB Laws of the Game changes are on the link below.

https://www.efl.com/news/2025/july/31/what-to-expect-from-match-officials-in-2025-26-


Comments

  • LargeAddick
    LargeAddick Posts: 32,552
    Let's hope the actual ref's get the memo.
  • ForeverAddickted
    ForeverAddickted Posts: 94,288
    How many weeks before we see the eight second rule dropped, because the referees are ruining the games by allowing too many corners, and not giving Goalkeepers enough time to clear their lines.
  • SELR_addicks
    SELR_addicks Posts: 15,442
    You'll be sure to see one team get punished for the new rule change in the first week of the season, then it will never be mentioned again. 

    Always the way. 
  • golfaddick
    golfaddick Posts: 33,613
    SELR_addicks said:
    You'll be sure to see one team get punished for the new rule change in the first week of the season, then it will never be mentioned again. 

    Always the way. 
    Us versus Watford on the 9th. Will lead to a direct free kick which they score from.
  • Mendonca In Asdas
    Mendonca In Asdas Posts: 22,650
     Can’t wait to see how many extra corners are given each match.
  • Arsenetatters
    Arsenetatters Posts: 5,970
    ForeverAddickted said:
    How many weeks before we see the eight second rule dropped, because the referees are ruining the games by allowing too many corners, and not giving Goalkeepers enough time to clear their lines.
    I can see confusion around the ref indicating when there are five seconds left of the 8. It’s going to be a second to put his arm up. 
    I think 6 was fine.
    Also interested to see how the time wasting ‘injury’ to the goalkeeper is handled. 
  • BrentfordAddick
    BrentfordAddick Posts: 1,460
    The awarding a corner thing, it doesn't feel right. First time, caution them. They do it again, second yellow. Simple. 
  • Briston_Addick
    Briston_Addick Posts: 11,676
    What to expect from match officials in 2025/26:

    Any new laws or interpretations will only apply to the Charlton Athletic Football Club ...

    Our forwards constantly man-handled but nine times out of ten being the ones penalised ...

    At the other end of the pitch our defenders perform the same way as the oppo but give away free kick after free kick.

    In other words we'll get fudged over by the officials, especially as we're the newbies in the division ... much the same as every year, really.
  • stevexreeve
    stevexreeve Posts: 1,385
    Refs just do what they like anyway! It's a waste of time introducing new rules they can't be bothered with.
  • C_D_R_M
    C_D_R_M Posts: 29
    Typical soft penalty for Peterborough.

    Cardiff - welcome to League One.
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  • Off_it
    Off_it Posts: 28,828
    Incompetence
  • Off_it
    Off_it Posts: 28,828
    I mean, they can't even write their own rules clearly!

    "If play is stopped with the ball inside the penalty area, the restart will be a dropped a ball to the goalkeeper."

    Doesn't this shit get proof-read and signed off? Clowns.
  • SporadicAddick
    SporadicAddick Posts: 6,839
    So nothing to stop the goalkeeper going down when Jones / AN Other wants a tactical break? 

    That’s a shame.
  • EveshamAddick
    EveshamAddick Posts: 7,013
    clive said:

    With the 2025/26 season almost upon us, here’s what to expect from match officials across the professional game in England.

    Match officials will be empowered this season to:

    • Apply changes to updated Laws of the Game, including key changes affecting goalkeepers, dropped ball restarts and penalty-kick procedures
    • Continue to take a robust approach to participant behaviour, including player conduct and technical area discipline, with a new emphasis on applying the ‘Captains Only’ approach
    • Protect player welfare, especially around head injuries, while deterring tactics designed to delay or disrupt the game
    • Maintain a high threshold for penalising challenges, recognising that not all contact is a foul, while ensuring player safety

    A summary of the key IFAB Laws of the Game changes are on the link below.

    https://www.efl.com/news/2025/july/31/what-to-expect-from-match-officials-in-2025-26-


    “Imaginary armband” - lol!!

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