Three red cards for hair pulling in 2026 – is it time to change law?Figure caption, Ballard sent off as Wolves hold Sunderland to 1-1 drawByAlex BrothertonBBC Sport journalistPublished8 minutes agoHandballs, offsides and the impact of video assistant referees (VAR) have been huge points of contention in recent years, but is it now time to add hair pulling to the list?Sunderland defender Dan Ballard became the third player this season to be sent off for pulling an opponent’s hair in Saturday’s 1-1 draw at relegated Wolves.
It happened in the 24th minute when he challenged home forward Tolu Arokodare for the ball.
Referee Paul Tierney initially took no action, but showed the red card to the centre-back after the VAR advised him to check the incident on the pitchside monitor.
As Sunderland fans chanted ‘this isn’t football’, Ballard joined Everton’s Michael Keane and Manchester United’s Lisandro Martinez in being sent off for a hair pull this season.
Nigeria striker Arokodare has been on the end of two of the three hair pulls this term – the first involving Keane on 7 January.
Everton and Manchester United both failed in their appeals to get the red cards, and resulting three-game bans, overturned, so it is unlikely Ballard and Sunderland will be successful should they make a challenge.
“I think, when it’s not intentional, it was an accident. It’s hard to execute the rule like it was intentional,” stated Sunderland manager Regis le Bris.
“So sometimes handball is the same, there is always a grey area and, probably, with this rule we are in that stage.”
