Premier League to relax red cards for hair pulling

The Premier League has announced that referees will change how they judge hair pulling offences from next season, following three red cards issued for the offence during the 2025-26 campaign. Officials will also be instructed to focus more on grappling and holding inside the penalty area, particularly at corners and set-pieces. The new interpretation was published on 12 June 2026 and will affect how incidents like the Michael Keane case are handled going forward.