The World Cup is done and dusted, and now attention will turn to domestic matters.
Celtic have concluded pre-season and are now preparing for their opening Premiership match against Dundee on Monday, August 3.
As with every season in domestic football, rules are adjusted, freshened up or completely taken out, especially after a major tournament.
There are a few things the Celtic Park faithful need to know about the 2026/27 Premiership season, including how second yellow cards can be overturned if it’s ‘clearly incorrect’, but you won’t get sent off for covering your mouth while talking to an opponent.
In all the cases, Scottish clubs have decided to bring the second yellow cards rule from the World Cup, but they have opted against incorrect corners being reviewed, as Gordon Duncan explained on Sky Sports.
You could make one change, and one change only to the Scottish game. What would it be? 😃🤔
Changes are coming to Scottish football…
“Scottish football fans would have been watching the World Cup with interest, noting some of the rule changes and wondering what would be implemented for the new season,” said Duncan.
“Perhaps the biggest one, the one which might carry the biggest impact, would be the ability for VAR to review clearly incorrect second yellow cards.
“Again, something we saw in the summer. Something which has felt like it has carried a sense of injustice in previous seasons, where a player gets a second yellow card, they are sent off, and there is nothing VAR could do about it. Now, that decision can be reversed if the second yellow is deemed to be clearly incorrect.
“There are some changes that were brought into the World Cup that won’t be brought forward into Scottish football, as per the request from the clubs.
“They will not review incorrect corner kicks. That is something we did see over the summer.
“You will also remember there was quite a lot of controversy over mouth covering. Miguel Almiron was sent off. That won’t be brought into Scottish football for the upcoming season either.
“Like much of the change over the World Cup, most of this is aimed at speeding up play, getting the game moving – ten seconds for substitutes to get off the pitch. Five seconds for a throw-in. Five seconds for a goal kick.”
Most of the noise will be around Celtic…
Celtic always attracts the biggest noise in Scottish football, and this forthcoming campaign will be no different.
Many saw last season during Celtic’s title charge how people outside of Glasgow lost their minds at that penalty award against Motherwell at Fir Park.
Even though the SFA backed it, people like Derek McInnes, who is now at Rangers, couldn’t control himself, and he has since been handed a four-match touchline ban by the SFA.
It was complete nonsense from McInnes at the time, who was clearly under immense pressure because Hearts couldn’t capitalise on the chaos that had unfolded at Parkhead for the majority of the campaign.
Either way, given how Celtic have dominated again and again in Scotland, expect the blood pressure to rise again for some teams and their managers because leopards don’t change their spots.
Most of the noise will, once again, be around Celtic, but that is something you have to accept when you are the biggest club in Scottish football.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
