SOCCER: English Premier League says pulling opponent's hair no longer automatically warrants a red card

The English Premier League said on Friday that pulling an opponent's hair will not necessarily warrant an automatic red card under changes to refereeing guidelines for next season.

The league said in a statement that a red card will apply where hair pulling is carried out with "excessive force and/or brutality", while incidents deemed to be deliberate but without excessive force will be punished with a yellow.

The change comes after Manchester United's Lisandro Martinez, Everton's Michael Keane and Sunderland's Dan Ballard were sent off for pulling an opponent's hair last season.

The clarification was part of a wider set of principles outlining how referees will apply the laws of the game in the upcoming season.

The Premier League said that holding will be more closely scrutinised, with referees encouraged to penalise non-footballing actions that have a material impact on opponents.

Referees will also place more emphasis on protecting goalkeepers, penalising players who initiate contact without a genuine attempt to play the ball if it impacts the keeper's ability to challenge for it.

-Reporting by Rishabh Jaiswal in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford/Reuters