Referees and their assistants have been instructed to adopt a strict approach and penalise the spot-kick cheats, reports The Times. Encroachment by players at penalties has bedevilled the game for years and officials have rarely intervened.
However, after Frank Lampard had to take a spot-kick three times in Chelsea's 1-1 draw away to West Ham United last Sunday, referees have been told to act if they feel that the law has been broken.