Premier League Corner Grappling Spurs Calls for Law Change
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Darren Cann, former Premier League assistant referee, said corner situations have become a 'nightmare to police' with up to 16 players packed into the six-yard box and proposed two fixes: letting referees penalise behaviour the moment they blow to restart, and requiring attackers to start outside the six-yard box.
- David Moyes singled out Arsenal as the 'trailblazers' for blocking 'with style' and said referees 'really don't want to get involved' after Everton's match against Manchester United saw multiple players grappling near goalkeeper Senne Lammens.
- Arne Slot said the Premier League is 'not for me a joy to watch' because of set-piece wrestling, and argued fouls would be given in other leagues for behaviour that goes unpunished in England.
- Premier League set-piece goals account for 27% of all goals this season, the highest share among Europe's top five leagues ahead of Serie A (24%), Bundesliga (22%), La Liga (19%) and Ligue 1 (17%).
- Chelsea conceded two goals from corners in Sunday's 2-1 loss at Arsenal, where several Gunners players were visibly holding their markers; manager Liam Rosenior said he is 'taking control' of coaching set-piece defending.
- Ifab met in Wales on Saturday to thrash out law changes for next season, but Scottish FA chief executive Ian Maxwell said grappling 'wasn't something that we specifically talked about'.
- PGMO has penalised holding with seven penalties this season, four after VAR intervention, yet the league's high foul threshold means much of the wrestling at corners continues unchecked.
Why it matters: With the Premier League leading Europe's top five leagues in set-piece goals at 27% and managers from Slot to Moyes publicly denouncing the spectacle, the pressure on Ifab and PGMO to clarify or change the rules before next season is real — especially because a year-long survey of coaches, captains and officials backed the current foul threshold, leaving a gap between what the game's stakeholders want enforced and what referees are actually calling.
Ask SkimNews
