The start of the 2021/22 Premier League season is less than three weeks away. We’ve only just recovered from the craziness of Euro 2020 and the Copa America, but the new domestic season is almost here. Fans have grown accustomed to having to educate themselves with fresh rules and regulations at the start of each season, in addition to getting to know new faces in terms of players and coaching staff.
The first thing to note for the upcoming season is that the lines used by Premier League VARs to judge on offside decisions will be thickened. How much thicker should it be? We don’t know for sure, but the notion is that larger markers will assist prevent goals from being chalked off when a decision is close, such as when a player’s toe has previously resulted in a goal being ruled out.
As previously stated, we aren’t aware of the full circumstances behind the move, but this alteration in policy clearly indicates that the attacking team will now be given the benefit of the doubt – something that enraged fans have been requesting since the VAR system was implemented.
Viewers will also no longer be compelled to watch VAR draw the lines. Fans will only be shown the decisive photograph from which the final decision will be taken this time. Overall, these modifications look to be a positive step forward.
Accidental handball in the build-up to a goal should no longer result in the goal being ruled out, which is a nice move. Officials have been ordered to chalk off any attempts to create a chance or score a goal where the ball is mistakenly handled in the process.
The laws governing handball instances when a player has grown their physique unreasonably bigger have also been updated. The new wording reads, “A player is considered to have made their body unnaturally bigger when the position of their hand/arm is not a consequence of, or justifiable by, the player’s body movement for that specific situation. By having their hand/arm in such a position, the player takes a risk of their hand/arm being hit by the ball and being penalized.”
