Premier League clubs challenge referees over new injury and substitution rules

Several Premier League clubs, including Aston Villa, have raised concerns with refereeing body Pro Ref over the application of new Laws of the Game introduced at the start of the 2025/26 season, according to the Daily Mail.

The new rules require any player who receives medical attention on the pitch to leave the field and wait 60 seconds before returning, leaving their team temporarily reduced to ten men. A separate measure states that if a substituted player takes longer than ten seconds to walk off, their replacement must wait until the next break in play after a full minute has elapsed before entering the field.

The clubs’ central complaint is that referees are not exercising “sufficient judgement” to distinguish between a player who is genuinely injured and one who is deliberately running down the clock. The concern is that honest injuries are being penalised in the same way as deliberate time-wasting.

The Premier League itself has declared the early results a success. In a statement issued this week, the league said average match length through the first three rounds of fixtures stands at 97 minutes 48 seconds, down from 100 minutes 45 seconds at the same stage last season. Effective playing time has risen to 57 minutes 13 seconds from 54 minutes 19 seconds over the same comparison period, pushing the ball-in-play ratio from 53.9 per cent to 58.5 per cent.

The injury and substitution rules sit alongside other measures introduced this season, including timed countdowns for goal kicks and throw-ins, all aimed at reducing delays and keeping the ball in play for longer.

Despite the positive aggregate numbers, the friction between clubs and officials over how the rules are being enforced in practice suggests the new framework will continue to be tested as the season progresses.