Urgent Premier League rule change that will affect Brighton, Newcastle, Chelsea, Tottenham, Arsenal and Leicester this weekend

The Met Office has issued an amber extreme heat warning which came into force on Thursday and covers the rest of this week. It covers much of the southern half of England as well as parts of eastern Wales.

Sussex World understands any match in the EFL or Premier League where the temperature is forecast to hit at least 30 degrees Celsius is set to feature a cooling break midway through each half to enable players, coaches and officials to rehydrate and cool down.

Temperatures in the area covered by the heat warning are expected to get into the low to mid-30s.

Brighton’s match against Newcastle at the Amex Stadium, Chelsea vs Tottenham, Arsenal vs Leicester and Southampton vs Leeds are all expected to be impacted.

A break was called in Sunday’s Premier League match between West Ham and Manchester City while evening games in the Carabao Cup first round earlier this week – including Coventry v Bristol City – also featured water breaks.

Meanwhile, the Football Association is understood to be monitoring the extreme heat closely and is working with both the GMA and the Football Foundation on guidance to the grassroots game.