PL to trial rules on faking goalkeeper injuries, 5-second kick-ins, and 10-second substitutions

Premier League officially announced that it will start trials this season to prevent goalkeepers from feigning injury, throwing in from the touchline within 5 seconds, goal kick rules, and 10-second substitution rules.

Premier League Official Announcement:

If a match is stopped due to a goalkeeper's injury, one non-goalkeeper player from that goalkeeper's team must temporarily leave the field. The Premier League will implement this new trial rule in the 2026/27 season.

ProRef, which manages the Premier League referee team, issued a statement saying: "To ensure the smooth pace of the game, English football has obtained approval from the International Football Association Board (IFAB) to trial new rules specifically for goalkeeper injuries in the 2026-27 season.

This trial rule is jointly promoted by ProRef, The FA, the Premier League, the English Football League, the Women's Super League, and the National League, and will be uniformly implemented across all professional leagues for men and women in England.

The original intention is to eliminate the opportunistic behavior of teams using goalkeeper injuries to interrupt the game, break the opponent's attacking momentum, deliberately slow down the pace of the game, or seize the opportunity for the entire team to listen to the coach's tactical arrangements."

I. Specific implementation of the rule

The trial clause stipulates: Once a match is stopped due to a goalkeeper's injury, the goalkeeper's team needs to designate one outfield player to leave the field and be absent for at least one minute of actual play.

II. Background of introduction

In past matches, there have been multiple instances of goalkeepers deliberately falling to the ground to signal for medical staff, with teams using this dead-ball stoppage to gain competitive advantages: either simply wasting stoppage time, breaking the opponent's attacking momentum, or more commonly, all outfield players gathering by the sidelines to listen to the head coach's tactical instructions, after which the goalkeeper immediately gets up and continues the game without any serious injury.

Purpose of the new rule: Truly injured goalkeepers can still receive normal medical treatment, while completely cutting off the team's ability to profit from such situations.

III. Detailed implementation process

1. After the match is suspended due to a goalkeeper's injury, the team's head coach must immediately designate an outfield player to leave the field;

2. After the game restarts, this player must remain off the field for at least 1 minute before being allowed to re-enter.

IV. Exemptions (no player removal triggered)

1. The goalkeeper is fouled by an opponent, a direct free kick is awarded, and immediate treatment is required;

2. Both the goalkeeper and an outfield player are injured in a collision and both require treatment;

3. The goalkeeper has a bleeding injury.

V. Trial period

The FA, in conjunction with IFAB and all stakeholders, will track and evaluate the effect of this rule throughout the season to verify its effectiveness in improving game fluidity while protecting player health.

VI. All anti-delay and anti-time-wasting rules for this season

This new goalkeeper rule is a supplement to a series of measures in English professional football aimed at increasing active play time and reducing unproductive stoppages. The 8-second limit for goalkeepers holding the ball was successfully implemented last season.

Several new time-limit rules added for the 2026-27 season:

1. 5-second countdown for throw-ins and goal kicks: If a player delays without reason for more than 5 seconds, the referee can directly award the throw-in to the opposing team; if a goal kick is delayed, it can be changed to an opposing corner kick;

2. 10-second limit for substitutions leaving the field: If a substituted player is slow to leave the field, the substitute player will have to wait another minute after the game restarts before being allowed to enter.

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