Premier League referees will take a stricter approach to holding and grappling during set pieces this season.
Officials have been instructed to punish deliberate holding, especially when it prevents opponents from challenging for the ball or moving into dangerous areas.
The laws remain unchanged, but referees will target actions such as using both arms to restrain an opponent or repeatedly grabbing players or their shirts.
Defenders who deliberately hold attackers during corners and free-kicks could also be penalised.
Premier League referees’ chief Howard Webb said officials have been urged to punish offences rather than repeatedly issue warnings.
“We’re trying to get the officials to be as confident as they can be to penalise what they see.
“So fewer warnings, more actions penalised, and if there’s any reduction in offences being penalised it should be a result of a modification of player behaviour rather than us no longer applying it,” Webb added.
The tougher stance follows concerns over missed VAR interventions last season, including penalties not awarded after players were wrestled to the ground.
Webb, however, said officials would not penalise normal physical contact, particularly involving goalkeepers.
Set pieces could be significantly affected, with Premier League clubs scoring 269 goals from them last season, accounting for a record 25.7 per cent of all goals.
Arsenal scored the most with 25, followed by Manchester United with 21 and Tottenham Hotspur with 19.
Liverpool conceded the most set-piece goals with 19, while Chelsea and Newcastle United each conceded 17.
Arsenal combined the league’s best attacking return from set pieces with a strong defence, conceding just seven goals from such situations.
