During the first half of Fulham vs Manchester United in the Premier League, Gary Neville was left beyond frustrated.
Ahead of the new season, several changes to IFAB Laws and the ‘Premier League Football Principles’ were announced.
Perhaps the most noticed was the ‘eight-second rule’ for goalkeepers – those with the gloves now have to release the ball within eight seconds or they’ll concede a corner to the opposing team.
And whilst neither Bernd Leno or Altay Bayindir were guilty of that sin in the first half of Fulham’s clash with Man United on Sunday, another new rule did come into the spotlight.
Under new Premier League guidelines, when the referee stops the game for a suspected head injury, the player will need to leave the pitch for at least 30 seconds afterwards.
Gary Neville annoyed that Calvin Bassey had to leave the pitch against Man United
10 minutes into Fulham vs United at Craven Cottage, Calvin Bassey went down clutching his face after it appeared that Bryan Mbeumo had accidentally caught him with a stray hand.
Chris Kavanagh then stopped the game to check on Bassey, who initially remained down on the turf when the match carried on.
Calvin Bassey duels with Bryan Mbeumo during Fulham vs Manchester United in the Premier League.
Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images
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But after getting to his feet, Bassey was perplexed by Kavanagh’s message that he needed to spend 30 seconds off the pitch.
And whilst commentating on the game for Sky Sports, Gary Neville seemed in equal bemusement.
Neville described the moment as ‘absolute nonsense’, sentiments Bassey seemed to agree with, along with the Fulham home supporters.
Speaking on commentary, Neville said: “I think this 30-second rule is an absolute nonsense – I do not like it at all as a team has to play one man down through no fault of their own.”
Premier League change the laws around head injuries during matches
The rule, described as ‘nonsense’ by Neville, was listed under ‘Refereeing points emphasis for 2025/26’ on the Premier League website.
Explaining the new rule, they wrote: “Where a player has a suspected head injury and the referee stops the game, the official will immediately signal for a doctor or physio to enter the pitch in order to promote player welfare.
“The player will need to leave the pitch for further assessment and remain on the touchline for a minimum 30 seconds after play has restarted.”
Any critics of this new rule might protest that players will simply try to minimise the signs of any head injury they might have suffered, just so they don’t leave their team a player down.
Perhaps in the same situation again, Bassey might choose to immediately stand up, which would be a concern in itself.