Supporters will notice some key changes when Sunderland’s Premier League campaign begins on Saturday
Sunderland begin their Premier League campaign at Ipswich Town on Saturday, with a number of new changes to the laws of the game set to be implemented.
There will also be some key changes to the way Premier League officials interpret those laws, leading to a shift in how certain key decisions are made. Here's everything Sunderland fans need to know ahead of the big kick off...
The key changes to the laws of the game
The Premier League are obliged to implement a number of changes to the laws of the game, most of which were first seen at the World Cup earlier this summer. When a game is now stopped for an injury to a player, the player in question will have to leave the pitch for at least one minute when previously the minimum was thirty seconds. Referees will also be required to intervene when teams attempt to slow the game down, with a five-second countdown implemented if anyone is deemed to be slowing down at a goal kick or a throw in. For the former, a corner will be awarded if the goalkeeper exceeds the limit while for the latter a throw in will be awarded to the opposition.
A ten-second countdown will also be introduced for substitutions, with the player entering the field of play forced to wait for at least a minute if the player departing exceeds that time limit.
The new Premier League trial
The Premier League will also conduct a trial this season in a bid to stop goalkeepers feigning injury to give their team the chance to enjoy a tactical timeout. When a goalkeeper now goes down injured, the head coach will have to nominate a player from his side who will sit out the next minute of the game when play resumes. Some exceptions will obviously apply to this rule, such as when the goalkeeper has suffered a head injury.
The Premier League's 'refereeing principles' for the new season
While the changes to the laws of the game are compulsory, the Premier League and the refereeing body have some scope to set their own 'principles' for how the laws are interpreted on a game-by-game basis. These include maintaining a high threshold for a VAR intervention, and a high threshold for when contact constitutes a foul. One change that clubs have been instructed to prepare for is an increased focus on holding at set plays. The move is designed to reduce the influence of set plays on the division, with players warned they will penalised for holding offences and for obstructing the goalkeeper while making no attempt to play the ball.
The Premier League has also tweaked how it will punish hair-pulling offences, with a yellow card now awarded if the action is deemed not to demonstrate 'excessive force'.
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VAR - what's changing and what's not
For the first time, VAR now has the power to intervene when a player has potentially been incorrectly shown a second yellow card. However, this will not operate in reverse and so VAR will not be able to intervene to determine that a second yellow card should be awarded. The Premier League has opted not to increase the scope of VAR so that it can intervene if a corner is incorrectly awarded.
The Premier League have also pledged to improve the transparency of VAR, with fans now given the dialogue from officials in certain circumstances. The verdict of the league's Key Match Incident panel will now also be published on a weekly basis.