At today’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), EFL Clubs voted to approve several changes to the EFL Regulations that will come into effect immediately. These include: OWNERS AND DIRECTORS’ TEST New disqualifying conditions have been added to the Owners and Directors’ Test (OADT) to ensure that the EFL and Premier League’s tests remain aligned. The list of disqualifying conditions has been updated to include: Disqualifying individuals who are subject to sanctions; Prohibiting ownership by state entities from countries which are sanctioned; Second (or further) bankruptcies/convictions/bans, even if expired or spent. Convictions for violent offences; Convictions for fraud of any kind; Disqualification for wider corporate insolvencies; Disqualifications by a wider range of Government bodies; Having been removed as a trustee of a pension scheme by the Pensions’ Regulator or the Courts; Expulsion of sporting clubs in other sports (eg. Rugby) as the League does for football clubs; Expanding the period in which insolvency of a company/club counts against a director who has resigned from 30 days to one year; and Reducing the definition of Control from 30% to 25% The OADT has also been updated to treat anybody who is currently undergoing an investigation which may lead to a disqualifying condition, as being subject to a disqualifying condition until such time as they clear the allegations. MULTIBALL / TOWELS The EFL will introduce a multiball system in all its competitions for the 2023/24 season. Match balls will be placed on cones in designated areas at pitch side to help increase the time of the ball being in play. Meanwhile, Clubs will no longer be permitted to use towels or other articles, including items obtained from spectators to dry footballs during matches. INSOLVENCY EVENTS A new regulation (12.1) has come into effect which requires a Club to notify the League promptly once it becomes aware that it is considering, taking or suffering any Insolvency Event. The Club and any proposed Officeholders in any potential Insolvency Event will be required to meet with the League to ensure that the ongoing obligations of the Club can be met during the period of an Insolvency Event. The EFL has also updated its Insolvency Policy to amend the definition of an Insolvency Event in its Articles of Association to ensure the new concept of a ‘Restructuring Plan’ as referenced in the Corporate and Insolvency Governance Act 2020 is included. FUTURE FINANCIAL INFORMATION FOR LEAGUES ONE AND TWO To better align with the Club Financial Reporting Unit’s reporting practices, Clubs in League One and League Two will now be required to submit their Future Financial Information (FFI) by 30 April rather than 31 March each year. HMRC REPORTING The EFL has updated Regulation 17.1 to include all debts due to HMRC and now requires Clubs to report any defaults within two working days. 30-DAY RULE The non-payment of HMRC debt has been added as a trigger of Regulation 52.6, so Clubs who accumulate 30 days of late payments in a 12-month period will be unable to sign a player for a fee or any consideration for three full transfer windows. The amendment to the 30-Day Rule also provides for Clubs to self-report late payment of any debt covered by Regulation 52.6, plus a right of appeal for Clubs triggering the 30-Day Rule.
The return of multi-ball is interesting. Makes sense because you quite often see fans deliberately holding onto the ball to waste time for their team, but then multi-ball was originally scrapped for the same reason, because clubs would have their ballboys putting multiple balls on the pitch at restarts to stop the away team being able to take quick throw-ins. I remember Sheff United under Warnock had a particularly sophisticated operation going on.
Free kick to the opposing team if a player taking a throw-in attempts to dry the ball on his shirt or shorts? Red card for the second offence?
I guess that's why it says 'Match balls will be placed on cones in designated areas at pitch side ...'. Good move. Makes sense (although fans could still hold onto & then throw a 2nd ball onto the pitch, but I guess that will likely be rare). Also like the no towel change. Never really understood why teams (normally the home team) were able to get away with that up until now.
To stop any time wasting there should be a time keeper of the pitch who stops the time as soon as the ball is out of play/game is stopped. Only to be restarted again once the ball is back in play. It's fair and can't be argued. Take that totally away from on field refs
I agree broadly, the only problem is that games would become way longer and you'd probably have to reduce the 90 minutes to something like an hour to make up for it, and people are never going to accept such a fundamental change to one of the core pillars of football.
If towels can’t be used then players wearing gloves shouldn’t be allowed to take a throw in. Also, any outfield player wearing gloves should be made to wear a big girls blouse under their shirt.
yepp. 100%. I recall them doing it when they beat us 2-0 at theirs during our promotion season, then speaking to one of the presenters at Radio Humberside (can't recall who for certain) about them throwing two balls on at once to break up the play and momentum and he thought I was talking 100% bollocks.
I can see the next shirt invention, already. A little piece of towel, say about six inches square, sown into the inside of the shirt, and easy to pull out.... Dragons Den, anyone? ps...I didn't know Peter Jones was on the US version until I saw him on the telly, over there.
