During the break for international duty, Serie A coaches met with refereeing designator Gianluca Rocchi to go over the adjustments to the rules, including handball.
At least twice every season, the AIA (Italian Referees Association) holds a summit with the coaches of Serie A clubs to ensure they are up to date on the latest interpretation of the rules and regulations.
That meeting was held today at the VAR centre in Lissone, with Rocchi and AIA President Carlo Pacifici explaining the changes.
How Serie A rules interpreted in 2024-25
They confirmed that only captains can now speak to referees during controversial incidents, hoping to avoid the crowding around of officials that can be unseemly and unproductive.
Handball inside the penalty area will only be a red card if it was unsporting conduct to deliberately prevent a goal, a yellow card if it was stopping a dangerous attack, or just a penalty with no card if neither of these descriptions fit the incident.
The rules on encroachment for penalties has also changed, as now if an attacker scores on the rebound after encroaching, it will automatically be a free kick for the defending team, even if defenders also encroached.
Encroachment is only punishable if they come into contact with the ball or have a direct influence on the rest of play.