Premier League referees will no longer issue an automatic red card for hair pulling starting in the 2026-27 season. Red cards will be given only if the hair pulling involves excessive force or brutality. Hair pulling judged deliberate but without excessive force will result in a yellow card instead [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8].
The change follows three red cards given in the 2025-26 season to Manchester United’s Lisandro Martinez, Everton’s Michael Keane, and Sunderland’s Dan Ballard, all for hair pulling after VAR review [1, 2, 3]. Michael Carrick, Manchester United’s manager, called Martinez’s red card “one of worst decisions I've seen” [1].
The Premier League said, "A red card will be issued when there is a clear and deliberate action to pull an opponent’s hair with excessive force and/or brutality. A yellow card will be issued if the action is deemed to be without excessive force and/or brutality" [2]. Referees will evaluate the level of force and intent when deciding on the sanction [1, 2, 3, 7, 8].
The rule changes were agreed at the Premier League annual general meeting on June 12, 2026, after consultation with the Game Improvement Advisory Group [1, 2, 4, 5]. The Premier League also plans to focus more on penalizing defenders holding opponents inside the penalty area, especially on corners, and will crack down on attacking players who challenge goalkeepers with contact but no attempt to play the ball [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8].
Additionally, new time limits for stoppages were introduced: injured players must leave the pitch within one minute, throw-ins and goal kicks must be taken within five seconds, and substitutions within ten seconds [2, 4, 5].
The revised hair pulling rules take effect at the start of the 2026-27 season, with referees implementing the new guidelines immediately.
