Premier League approve new rule for 2025/26 season as Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs set to vote

The will introduce a new rule for the 2025/26 season which allows only club captains to speak to referees during games, it has been reported.

Next month, the 20 Premier League clubs will meet for their annual general meeting and it's understood that the new rule, which is used in UEFA Competitions, will be ratified.

The referees' organisation are keen for the Football League to follow the Premier League with the new protocol. It's a rule that has been used in football since Euro 2024 before UEFA implemented it across the three club competitions.

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A report from has revealed how the rule has been generally approved by officials who now "explain decisions rather than justify decisions" to team captains.

Only big moments in a game are to be discussed via the two captains. The other 20 players can still interact with the referee and assistants during the match. In the rare case that the goalkeeper is the captain, clubs can nominate an outfield player as their contact of communication to the referee.

"This information and accompanying explanations are provided only to the team captains, who are the only players entitled to speak to the referee and request clarifications in a respectful manner," UEFA said last summer.

“Captains must also take responsibility for their team-mates, asking them to respect the referee, keep their distance and not surround the match officials.”

The measure was brought in by IFAB in November 2023 in an attempt to stop players surrounding the referee after a decision. Players are often booked for dissent as a reaction to a decision they don't agree with.

Now, players who ignored the new rule will receive yellow cards. Chelsea have received the most yellow cards in the Premier League this season (96) while Arsenal have picked up the 18th most with just 61.

However, Mikel Arteta's discipline issues have come with six red cards, the most in the league.