Explained: New rules for the Premier League & EFL in 2019-20

Hold those bets on Luka Milivojevic to win the Premier League Golden Boot!

Milivojevic, Crystal Palace's spot-kick supremo, scored ten Premier League penalties last season, three more than the previous campaign when he was also the most prolific marksman from 12 yards, and he must have been rubbing his hands at the prospect of Video Assistant Referees being introduced into England's top flight.

High-profile tournaments such as the men's and women's World Cup and the Champions League knockout stages all witnessed penalties galore and VAR was seen as the obvious reason as to why spot-kick awards were on the rise.

• Pat Nevin: timing couldn't be worse for Frank Lampard

The women's World Cup earlier this summer saw 26 penalties awarded, half of which came after VAR intervention, whereas only four penalties were cancelled following a video check.

In the 2018 World Cup there were a record number of penalties awarded (29) and scored (22). There was a pivotal moment in the final when referee Nestor Pitana controversially changed his mind after video assistance to award France a critical penalty for a handball by Croatia's Ivan Perisic.

There were similar contentious moments in last season's Champions League knockout phase regarding handball as Manchester United benefited from a VAR call against Paris St-Germain's Presnel Kimpembe and Manchester City were awarded a penalty at Tottenham even though no players appealed against Danny Rose's block.

Worse was to come in the final for Spurs when Moussa Sissoko was penalised for a first-minute handball.

• Premier League sack race analysis

Some suggested Liverpool winger Sadio Mane was shrewd enough to aim for Sissoko's outstretched hand, akin to a common ploy in hockey of deliberately earning penalty corners by shooting at the feet of defenders.

That has led many to believe VAR is to blame but the statistics from domestic leagues suggest there is no obvious correlation between video refs and penalties in France, Germany, Italy or Spain.

New handball rules not VAR responsible for increase in penalties

Rather it is a change in directive in officiating handball law from Uefa and Fifa which has caused the jump in penalties.

The International FA Board (IFAB) rubber-stamped those directives, already in place for international competitions, to become law in all leagues. It means defenders will have committed a foul if their arm extends beyond a natural silhouette, even if it's not deemed as deliberate.

The potential for spot-kick carnage is obvious, so obvious that the Premier League's refereeing chief Mike Riley revealed England's top flight would swerve the hardline approach.

Under his current guidance Sissoko's Champions League handball would not have been punished.

• The Premier League's new faces of 2019-20

He told the Times: "In this country we have always said – and this is the players and managers saying it to us – that arms are part of the game and as long as you are not trying to extend your body to block a shot then there is more scope so that we don’t penalise.

"What we don’t want to create is a culture where defenders have to defend with their hands behind their back or where it is acceptable for attackers to try to drill the ball at their hand to win a penalty.

"We have worked to our guidelines for the last three or four seasons and by and large, people accept that’s the interpretation we apply and I don’t think that changes next season.”

It's worth observing Riley says "I don't think that changes next season" rather than "that won't change" but he seems content there remains enough interpretation of the law to carry on as before.

Former Premier League referee Mark Halsey believes Riley has the handball clarification correct and VAR will eventually be an asset to the Premier League.

"It's a new era – the sport we know and loved has gone," Halsey told the Racing Post. "But I would have wanted it and most referees have welcomed VAR because the pace of the game is so quick now it's impossible for a human to make so many correct calls in real time.

"VAR will be a benefit in the long run once we use it correctly for the protocol of only changing clear and obvious errors. What we don't want is a situation like at the women's World Cup where matches are being re-refereed.

"Let's take the England penalty against USA. I did not think it was a foul at the time and I kept my opinion after seeing the replays. If a referee needs three minutes and untold slow-motion replays the original decision of no penalty should have stood.

"I did not see any justification for a penalty under clear and obvious error and on the subject of penalties I don't think we will get too many more domestically this season.

• Kevin Pullein: The two types of EFL teams that could earn you big betting profits

"In fact I agree with Mike's interpretation of the handball law which will be used in the Premier League. If they stick to it, there is unlikely to be an avalanche of extra penalties.

"You need to stretch your arms to make a block or tackle and so you must stick to the deliberate aspect. I was watching an MLS match after the Cricket World Cup final and there was a handball decision there which was ridiculous.

"The only problem is Michael Oliver and Anthony Taylor may find themselves having to officiate matches in two different ways, one for the Champions League protocol and the other for the Premier League, which may lead to confusion for those referees."

With football fans disputing the new handball laws, the spirit of whether the length of an errant toenail should be deemed as offside and countless other unlikely scenarios thrown up by potential VAR incidents the arguments over its merits will linger.

What is clear and obvious is the introduction of VAR will not end the debates regarding refereeing decisions.

Bookmakers on VAR

Steve Freeth, bet365: The average price of a penalty in a Premier League game was 11-4 and I can see it shortening to around 2-1 before we see how it pans out. There may well have been a knee-jerk reaction to go a lot shorter but referee chief Riley's comments have tempered that. Milivojevic will be a bit shorter in the database than last season, while from an in-play point of view we'd like to keep reviews to a minimum.

Barry Orr, Betfair: There were 24 penalties awarded in 48 matches at the women's World Cup and if that carries over to the Premier League you could see some fixtures going off close to evens for a penalty. I suspect there will be an outcry and fewer penalties will be awarded but it's something we will monitor weekly. VAR has been in place in some of Europe’s top leagues for the last couple of years so we’re fairly confident in our in-play procedures.

Peter Spencer, Betfred: I'm a level four referee and I reckon there are bound to be more penalties, so more goals, and we expect only the spot-kick takers to get a look in to land the Golden Boot. We also believe home advantage will be negated to a certain extent with refs able to go to VAR rather than be swayed by crowd reaction and there will be a rise in cards, so those markets will need adjusting too.

Alan Alger, Betway: It was last year's World Cup when everyone realised the chances of a penalty to be awarded were significantly increased with VAR. We started with prices around 5-2 to 3-1 but after a few group-stage matches we were 6-4 to 7-4 and we are looking at similar prices ranges for what the price will be. This change will be factored into the prices of known penalty takers, while the long delays in matches are not ideal for in-play.

Lawrence Lyons, BoyleSports: It may take a few rounds before we see the true impact of VAR and the new rules but we are bracing ourselves for an increased number of penalties, particularly at the start before the players learn how strict referees will be. It could be real double-whammy for us because we offer double winnings on first scorer if a penalty is scored and we are going to carry on with that concession which could be attractive to punters.

John Hill, Coral: The odds on a Premier League penalty being awarded would usually be around 3-1 but we expect this will be slightly shorter with VAR and the opening few weeks will be crucial to determine what changes we need to make. Tournaments with VAR have previously seen more interest in the penalty markets and also the spot-kick takers were very popular in those competitions. We will look to offer an array of VAR specials on every match.

• Michael Cox: Man City v Liverpool - the tactical battle

Alex Apati, Ladbrokes: There are a few factors we take into consideration when pricing up the probability of a penalty in a match. It's usually dependent on the fixture and the referee but the odds would usually be around the 3-1 mark in the Premier League. This will likely be reduced next season with the introduction of VAR and we have noticed a trend between tournaments with VAR and customers betting on the penalty markets.

Amy Jones, Paddy Power: VAR itself won't increase the number of penalties but combined with the handball laws it definitely will. We were between 5-2 and 7-2 for a penalty in the Premier League but would be expecting to go between 6-4 and 9-4 this season. There were 14 penalties awarded in 21 games at the Euro Under-21 finals so if those numbers come even close we will need to cut penalty takers dramatically. We'll be ducking them early in the season for sure.

Kane Calvin, RedZone: We will be going around 5-2 from 4-1 on a penalty being scored in the Premier League and will be quite defensive in the early stages as we are not sure how strict the refs will be. We cut prices on penalties to be awarded in all the summer tournaments but still got hit and we will be cheering against them with interest set to be high. The upside is we will be out to lay the non penalty-takers such as Sadio Mane in the Golden Boot market.

Rule changes

VAR entering the Premier League will be the biggest adjustment to English football since the back-pass rule was introduced in 1992, but there are plenty of law changes. Here's a summary of the most important.

• No more contested drop balls
• Free kicks - when there is a wall of three or more defenders, no attackers are allowed within one metre of the wall
• A caution for an illegal goal celebration remains even if the goal is disallowed
• The ball is in play from a goal kick once it is taken and does not need to leave the penalty area before another player can touch it. Opposing players must still remain outside the penalty until the kick is taken
• The team who win the toss can choose to take the kick-off or which goal to attack
• Penalties - goalkeepers must not be touching the posts, bar or nets. Goalkeepers must have at least part of one foot on/in line with the goal line when the kick is taken and cannot stand behind the line
• Quick free kicks will be allowed even if the ref is about to caution an opposing player
• A substituted player must leave the field at the nearest point

The handball law changes in full

The following handball situations, even if accidental, will be a free kick/penalty:

• The ball goes into the goal after touching an attacking player’s hand/arm
• A player gains control/possession of the ball after it has touched their hand/arm and then scores, or creates a goal-scoring opportunity
• The ball touches a player’s hand/arm which has made their body unnaturally bigger
• The ball touches a player’s hand/arm when it is above their shoulder (unless the player has deliberately played the ball which then touches their hand/arm)

The following will not usually be a free kick/penalty, unless they are one of the above situations:

• The ball touches a player’s hand/arm directly from their own head/body/foot or the head/body/foot of another player who is close/near
• The ball touches a player’s hand/arm which is close to their body and has not made their body unnaturally bigger
• If a player is falling and the ball touches their hand/arm when it is between their body and the ground to support the body (but not extended to make the body bigger)
• If the goalkeeper attempts to ‘clear’ (release into play) a throw-in or deliberate kick from a teammate but the clearance fails, the goalkeeper can then handle the ball

What will VAR check?

• Goal/no goal
• Penalty/no penalty
• Direct red card offences
• Mistaken identity for yellow/red cards

What happens if teams are level on points

The Premier League has introduced head-to-heads as a criterion to separate teams level on points. It comes into play if teams have the same points, goal difference and goals scored, in a bid to avoid a potential title playoff. The team with the most away goals in the head-to-head will be used if the head-to-head is tied.

Today's top sports betting stories

Follow us on Twitter @racingpostsport

Like us on Facebook RacingPostSport