"The Premier League has not commented after Liverpool were accused of breaching multi-ball rules during their 2-1 loss to Manchester United. Following Harry Maguire's late goal to put United ahead at Anfield, ball attendants were seen repeatedly throwing match balls back to Liverpool players, despite rules stating players must collect the ball themselves. Liverpool manager Arne Slot was also seen returning the ball to his players."
"The 2022-23 Premier League season introduced the rule that ball boys or girls cannot throw or pass the ball back to players. Instead, players must pick the ball up themselves from the closest cone, or retrieve the original ball in use and restart play. Coaching staff are also banned from returning the ball to players. An exception to this rule applies to goalkeepers, who are allowed to receive the ball from staff positioned behind their goal when restarting with a goal kick."
"The system ensures there are multiple footballs ready to replace any that exit the field of play, with 15 match balls in use during a game. One ball is used in play, one remaining with the fourth official, and the rest on cones distributed evenly along the sidelines and behind the goals. Players can retrieve the balls from the cones to minimise interruption to the flow of play when a ball leaves the pitch."
The Premier League has not commented on club-specific cases while reminding clubs of clear multi-ball guidelines. Ball attendants were seen repeatedly throwing match balls back to Liverpool players after Harry Maguire's late goal gave Manchester United a 2-1 lead at Anfield, and Liverpool manager Arne Slot was seen returning a ball to his players. The multi-ball system uses 15 match balls, with one in play, one with the fourth official, and the remainder on cones along sidelines and behind goals. Since 2022-23, ball attendants and coaching staff are banned from passing balls to players; goalkeepers are exempt for goal kicks. Aston Villa were fined 125,000 for breaches in 2024-25.
Read at www.bbc.com
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