" Rule changes in the Sky Bet Championship this season "

There have been a few changes to the rules in the Sky Bet Championship this season.



- Teams are no longer allowed five substitutes per game. Teams will now back to being permitted to use three substitutes and name seven on the bench. Since June 2020, teams were able to name nine on the bench. Concussion substitutes are still allowed.



- Referees have been given new guidance on the awarding of penalties. They should only give a penalty when there is clear contact, whether there was enough of a consequence to warrant a penalty and being confident that the player didn't make first contact with the defender to try and win a penalty.



- Accidental handball in the BUILD-UP to an attack or a goal should no longer be given as handball. However if an accidental handball creates the opportunity or scores the goal, then it is still handball. Accidental handball by a defender is still not an offence.



- The handball rule has again also been tweaked in another way. Before, it would be handball if a player's arm/hand was outside of his "natural silhouette". That has been scrapped. The new rule is that it will be a handball if the ball hits the arm/hand with the player's arm/hand in a position that isn't justifiable by his body movement. If a player has their arm/hand outside of the justifiable position of their body movement, they are running the risk of being penalised for handball.

Bit of a return to common sense though i would still think the accidental handball that leads to a goal should still be allowed as the who;e point of the handball rule was to prevent players from deliberately affecting the flight of the ball.

Ned as you know I've said all along players initiating contact was cheating and var helped it flourish... glad they've seen the light but think it will only be helpful with var..... going to be difficult for refs to see it contact is initiated by player when ref is 40yrds away? But it's a start hopefully wont see so many pens given for this cheating.

Ned as you know I've said all along players initiating contact was cheating and var helped it flourish... glad they've seen the light but think it will only be helpful with var..... going to be difficult for refs to see it contact is initiated by player when ref is 40yrds away? But it's a start hopefully wont see so many pens given for this cheating.

Agree it's good new guidance.

Probably right that it will mainly be in Premier League with VAR, but should stop a few penalties being given in the Championship when the referee is in a good position.

by pembroke allan » Tue Aug 03, 2021 8:38 am

Ned as you know I've said all along players initiating contact was cheating and var helped it flourish... glad they've seen the light but think it will only be helpful with var..... going to be difficult for refs to see it contact is initiated by player when ref is 40yrds away? But it's a start hopefully wont see so many pens given for this cheating.

It's driven me mad, but what's it going to do to Raheem Stirling and Harry Kane's valuations?

by pembroke allan » Tue Aug 03, 2021 8:38 am

Ned as you know I've said all along players initiating contact was cheating and var helped it flourish... glad they've seen the light but think it will only be helpful with var..... going to be difficult for refs to see it contact is initiated by player when ref is 40yrds away? But it's a start hopefully wont see so many pens given for this cheating.

It's driven me mad, but what's it going to do to Raheem Stirling and Harry Kane's valuations?

Reduce them by half maybe?

Ned as you know I've said all along players initiating contact was cheating and var helped it flourish... glad they've seen the light but think it will only be helpful with var..... going to be difficult for refs to see it contact is initiated by player when ref is 40yrds away? But it's a start hopefully wont see so many pens given for this cheating.

Agree it's good new guidance.

Probably right that it will mainly be in Premier League with VAR, but should stop a few penalties being given in the Championship when the referee is in a good position.

Let's hope the refs are fitter than previous seasons....

That mostly looks sensible

That mostly looks sensible

rule changes always do though.. problem is they quite often then get applied with an interpretation that i dont think the law makers intended... clear and obvious error ...sounded very sensible but is about as clear as mud...