Gillingham manager Neil Harris has blasted the way new rules have been introduced to the English Football League.

Harris hit out at the Professional Game Match Officials Ltd (PGMOL) - the body responsible for refereeing games in English professional football - on a day when two of his backroom team were booked, along with five of his players.

More: “That’s not going to dampen expectation levels is it?!”

New measures have been introduced this season, with the backing of the game’s leading authorities, covering all areas of the game to tackle dissent on the pitch, in the dugouts, and abusive chanting coming from the stands.

It was a yellow card for his goalkeeping coach Deren Ibrahim on Saturday that left him angry with the way the new regulations surrounding what can and can’t be done on the touchline have been communicated.

Harris said: “It wasn’t so much on the pitch, the yellow cards in the game were all right, I think they were all fouls but the two they gave to my staff, that was a joke.

“We are learning but there was a break in play and Del, the goalkeeping coach, has gone to speak to the goalkeeper, four yards outside of the technical area, that rule has just been made up on the spot because nobody has told me that, nobody told me that in my pre-management meeting, nobody has told the club that to pass on to me.

“The PGMOL can’t just make rules up as they go along. It’s a disgrace. The PGMOL have got to do better and communicate better. That is the disgrace of the day.”

Shaun Williams, Tom Nichols, Ethan Coleman, Shad Ogie and Jayden Clarke all picked up bookings in the game, coupled with the ones for Livermore and Ibrahim.

Harris has no issue about cracking down on dissent in the game, but added: “I am a massive rugby and cricket fan, I love it, the discipline side of it is there.

“I am guilty myself of various red card offences as a player and as a manager and I promised the players I would practice what I preach, I said I would do that this year, or try and do it. I expect my players to do the same.

“I support cracking down but for us not to know the rules, either bench, we were laughing about it because we don’t know what is going on.

“What the referee can’t allow himself to do is take his eye off the ball because the amount of poor decisions that he made was ridiculous because I think he is concentrating on every other rule in the game.”

Match officials have been empowered by the game’s governing bodies to take a more robust approach to deal with participant behaviour when it falls below expected standards on-field and in the technical area.

The ‘Love Football. Protect the Game’ football-wide campaign is aiming to clean up the sport.

New measures include a ‘technical area code of conduct’ which requires managers, coaches and other club staff members to behave in a responsible manner.

Referees can caution those in the technical area for any infringement.

Players and team officials not listed on the team sheet must not enter the technical area and technology can’t be used to challenge any decision made by the match officials.

Those in the dugout must remain within the technical area during the match and must not enter the pitch to confront any match official at half-time or full-time.

Only one person is permitted to stand at the front of the technical area and coach during the match. A second person may stand “but must remain very close to the technical area seating.”

Regulations state that “all conversations between the two standing must happen close to the technical area seating.”

In addition, “all other technical area occupants should remain seated.”

Ibrahim’s decision to stand and walk out of the technical area was noted and the referee issued him with a booking.

Fans will also have to get used to longer matches as time for substitutions, injuries, and celebrations, among other stoppages, are all to be added.

The EFL said: “In an attempt to enhance the amount of time the ball is in play in the forthcoming campaign, the exact time lost when certain game events occur will now be added. In previous seasons the policy was to add on a nominal period of time for certain game events.”

Gillingham’s game at Stockport had four minutes added on in the first half and eight in the second, although referee Benjamin Speedie didn’t blow until the scoreboard was well into the 100-minute mark.