The Premier League has finally changed a rule that has massively impacted Everton over recent months.
It is hard not to feel as if the Premier League have it out for Everton following some of the recent decisions made against the club both on and off the pitch.
Everton have been ordered to pay Burnley £40m in compensation following a recent hearing over previous PSR breaches.
How are we being punished again by the Premier League? 😡
Everton ordered to pay Burnley £40m in compensation…
The Premier League officials also made some controversial calls against the Toffees, with the rule on hair-pulling, which caught out Michael Keane, now being altered.
Everton witness Premier League rule change after their frustrations
Back in January, Keane was sent off for accidentally pulling Tolu Arokodare’s hair in the game at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
There was no clear intention from the Everton defender to grab the Wolves striker by the hair, but his long hairstyle caught Keane out.
Through the letter of the law, this was a red card offence. However, the Premier League have already altered the rules ahead of next season to make sure this does not happen again.
Which Everton player are you expecting to have the best World Cup? 🏆
An emphasis is being placed on force and intention, with Keane’s incident now not worthy of a red card, according to the change in rules.
Arokodare admitted Keane should not have been sent off, but the Everton defender is not the only player to receive the same punishment.
This season alone, Keane, Sunderland’s Dan Ballard and Manchester United’s Lisandro Martinez were all harshly sent off for alleged hair-pulling incidents.
The standard of refereeing during the 2025/26 campaign was nothing short of atrocious, from an Everton perspective.
Everton did not benefit from a single VAR intervention throughout the entirety of the campaign.
It is hard to cover up just how poorly the Blues ended their season, with no win in the final seven games, but there was some blame to be thrown in the direction of the officials.
Although this rule change is a positive, it will frustrate those on Merseyside that it took for Keane to be sent off for the decision to be made.
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