Updates for the season 2024/25

Holding

9 Sep 2024

The 2024/2025 Premier League season will kickoff with new updates to the holding rule.

A holding offence occurs only when a player's contact with an opponent's body or equipment impedes the opponent's movement.

There was a noticeable and significant increase in holding incidents last season, specifically due to tactical trends at set-pieces.

The threshold for a holding offence is; sustained and impactful holding, clear impact on the opponent's opportunity to play or challenge for the ball, clear (extreme) non-footballing action with impact on the opponent's movement.

Considerations

-Players who only focus on an opponent and pay no attention to challenging for the ball and have
a material impact, should be penalised
-Where both players are involved in simultaneous and similar actions (mutual holding), play should be allowed to continue
-Where one player clearly holds an opponent and this action clearly impacts the opponent’s movement and/or the ability to play or challenge for the ball (material impact), this action should be penalised
-Where one player solely focuses on an opponent and makes a clear non-footballing action that clearly impacts the progress of the opponent, this action should be penalised

Holding while focusing solely on the opponent and paying no attention to challenging for the ball is usually an offence.

Both arms is usually an offence, if sustained and/or there is clear impact.

Shirt holding is usually an offence, unless slight, short, or no clear impact.

One arm is usually an offence, if there is clear impact. However, mutual holding play is usually no offence.

Contents:

VAR
VAR Improvement Plan
Decision-making process
What VAR cannot do
Threshold for VAR intervention
Attacking Possession Phase
Semi-Automated Offside Technology

Participant Behaviour Charter
Context for Change
Core Principles
Regulatory

Updates for Season 2024/25
Effective Playing Time – Allowance for time lost
Effective Playing Time – Calculation of Additional Time
Effective Playing Time – Delaying the restart
Effective Playing Time – Managing momentum
Handball – Interpretation
Blocking
Denying a goal or an obvious goal scoring opportunity
Penalty kicks
IFAB Trial