The referees chief Howard Webb says a rise in the use of “dark arts” by players prompted the crackdown on time-wasting and bad behaviour this season – and warned that the tough regime is here to stay.
Webb, chief refereeing officer for the PGMOL, which manages professional match officials, also said measuring time lost to goal celebrations and substitutions more accurately would help to increase the amount of time the ball is in play.
The crackdown on offences such as surrounding the referee or delaying quick free kicks led to twice as many cautions for dissent on the opening weekend of the EFL season compared with the final day of the last campaign, and 29 for time-wasting compared with two.
Webb said the new approach
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