MANCHESTER City centre back Marc Guehi is set to miss out on the League Cup final against Arsenal due to a strange rule.
A player signed after the first leg of the semi final in the tournament during the January transfer window cannot appear for the club in the competition afterwards.
So, let’s have a look at other strange rules and changes in English football (historic and current), and analyse just how ludicrous they sound, with a score out of 10, with 1 being totally normal, and 10 being ludicrous.
1. Cup replays scrapped.
This change divides opinion. Fixture congestion is a problem for any club that wants to progress in a competition, and although it’s one less game for clubs to navigate the issue, they’ll still be forced into extra time and a potential penalty shootout.
And despite the fact these cups are supposed to be able to have a massive impact on clubs lower down the league financially and possibly save their season, for bigger clubs it’s viewed as second rate and less of a priority.
With this being implemented into recent seasons, it almost feels like the bigger fish swimming around the domestic pond of silverware are being catered to.
Not what football was supposed to stand for. 6/10
2. Suspension carry over.
Yellow cards have always been tournament specific, but not reds. A player receiving a red card in the Premier League could ban them from participating in a league cup game for example, but yellow cards accumulating throughout the season don’t have any impact.
A strange rule that should be applied to all bookings, not just certain coloured cards. A player that gets a straight red could get banned for a cup final, but a player that collects 10 yellow cards throughout the season would be eligible to play.
6/10.
3. The ‘double bubble’ penalty rebound rule.
When a penalty kick is taken, if the goalkeeper gets a hand to it the taker can score the rebound. However, if the ball hits the post and the goalkeeper gets no touch on the ball the taker can’t score the rebound unless another player gets a touch first.
Not sure why the ball needs to be touched by the goalkeeper for the taker to be able to attempt scoring the rebound, surely just make the rule so that the taker cannot touch the ball next after taking the spot kick and keep it simple?
7/10.
4. No extra time in the League Cup.
A rule that does provide some logic. If there are no replays in these earlier rounds anyway, you may not necessarily need extra time if the whole point is to ease fixture congestion.
However, a penalty shootout can still physically and emotionally drain players and will still leave a lasting impact into the next matches. And although the rule will have its uses, it won’t have to be applied very often due to the mismatching nature the cup draws usually provide.
4/10.
5. Opposition to get corner if goalkeeper holds ball for more than eight seconds.
A rule created for one purpose only, to clamp down on time wasting. And so far it’s worked.
Goalkeepers this season in the Premier League have started passages of play quicker this season as barely any corners have been given away due to this rule requiring implementation. Goalies are now holding onto the ball for usually less than 8 seconds.
Back in August 2025, former referee Darren Cann told BBC Sport:
“It will undoubtedly speed up the game. I’m confident that goalkeepers will adapt well to this law change and will release the ball in a timely manner almost all of the time.”
A strange rule that forces a set piece through a way of time wasting has resulted in the game picking up speed. 2/10.
While some of these rules may not necessarily sound wacky or weird for the sport, there is jeopardy in these decisions. How they’re implemented can either make the governing bodies look crazy or clever for trying to improve the sport.
