EFL announces major crack down on key issue that drives Portsmouth's Fratton faithful crazy

For years, Pompey fans have bemoaned the amount of time wasting opposition sides have been allowed to get away with at PO4.

But those days are set to become a thing of the past, with the league’s governing body announcing a range of measures with the primary aim of cracking down on the amount of time teams are deliberately misusing and enhancing ball in-play times.

In previous seasons the policy adopted by match officials was to add on a nominal period of time for certain game events. These included goals and subsequent celebrations, substitutions, injuries and treatment time and penalties – from moment of offence to the whistle for the penalty kick. It was the same with the issuing of red cards, with a token period added on from the moment of offence to when the player leaves the field.

However, that will no longer be the case from next weekend onwards, when the Blues kick-off their League One campaign at home to Bristol Rovers.

Indeed, the exact time lost when these particular in-game events occur will now be added by the match referee.

Officials will also adopt a more robust approach to dealing with clear and deliberate actions that hold-up play, with players set to cautioned if they are guilty of delaying tactics and failing to respect the required distance at free-kicks.

Meanwhile, the new measures also take into consideration the treatment of injured players.

Apart from certain circumstances, including when a goalkeeper is injured or a severe injury has been sustained, players who require medical assistance on the pitch for a potential injury will now receive treatment off the field of play.

In circumstances where a player declines the physio, if a team-mate clearly delays or refuses to restart the game, that team-mate will be issued a yellow card.

Alongside a more accurate allowance for time lost during the game, the EFL will also adopt the multi-ball system, which has been proven to increase ball in-play time.

The above measures were evident during last year’s World Cup in Qatar, when 10-15 minutes additional time were often added to the 90 minutes.

And as attempts continue to be made to keep the game flowing, a high threshold for penalising contact will also remain, with officials not awarding a foul for all contact, yet penalising when contact has a detrimental impact on an opponent.