Premier League clubs will be fined £100,000 if they don't comply with new strict rule

A new rule brought in by the Premier League will see clubs £100,000 if they do not comply, it has been reported.

The English top flight returns on Friday night with champions Arsenal hosting newly-promoted Coventry at the Emirates Stadium.

But just days before the new season, it's emerged that a strict rule has been introduced by the Premier League for the first time.

According to The Athletic, the Premier League are placing a huge focus on cybersecurity - to the level that there are now mandatory regulations that all 20 clubs must follow.

While points deductions will not be on the table, fines of up to £100,000 are a potential punishment as the league’s disciplinary procedures gives the Premier League board licence to sanction "through summary jurisdiction".

Alternatively, it can also refer an alleged breach to an independent commission.

Backups, incident response, risk management and security assurance are among the main areas clubs must attend to as part of an all-new cybersecurity approach.

There are now requirements and deadlines that clubs must meet, including complying the first set of measures by April 30, 2027 just before the season comes to an end.

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This is also the deadline of which a final assessment of a club's compliance must be submitted after an interim review which must be completed prior to January 10.

Should a club not be compliant during the interim period, they will have a 28-day window to send over a plan to the Premier League on how they will comply to measures, which are designed to provide protection against any cyber attacks.

After that, there will be other new requirements in the two years that follow.

Premier League clubs voted to approve cybersecurity measures at the latest Annual General Meeting (AGM) in June, where the topic was discussed.

Major Premier League change which could cause problems for referees

Another significant Premier League change is the news that by fans will be able to see the judgements made by Key Match Incidents Panel (KMI) about the most controversial decisions which have occurred in games.

The full view from the five members on the Panel, who meet every week, is typically given to clubs but is not made public. Some leaks on the panel's verdict do often emerge.

That will all change starting from the 2026/27 campaign, however, as the views will be disclosed and released in full document form.

The KMI Panel includes three former players and coaches, as well as a representative from the Premier League and the referees’ body Pro Ref. All of their comments will feature in the document made available.

Another addition will see the Premier League Match Centre beef out the official channel with direct quotes from officials explaining decisions after games, as well as the popular Ref Cam featuring audio for the first time.