The Premier League is instructing referees to crack down more strictly on holding, pushing and grappling at set-pieces, starting with the 2026-27 season opener between Arsenal and Coventry. The move follows a season in which incidents such as a chaotic mass foul during West Ham's disallowed goal against Arsenal, and complaints from managers like David Moyes, highlighted growing frustration that officials were failing to address widespread wrestling and jostling inside the penalty area.

Referees' chief Howard Webb said officials will be encouraged to act more proactively rather than issuing warnings, penalising "non-footballing" holding actions such as a player who only focuses on an opponent, makes no attempt to play the ball, or holds an opponent with both arms. The laws themselves remain unchanged, but the emphasis shifts to clear, impactful holding, partly prompted by a Premier League review that found a quarter of last season's 20 missed VAR interventions involved unpunished penalties for players wrestled to the ground off the ball. Goalkeepers will get some added protection, similar to that seen at the World Cup, though officials say the threshold for genuine coincidental contact remains high.