!
Subscribe to Miguel Delaney’s newsletter, Reading the Game, and receive it in your inbox at no cost.
Subscribe to Miguel Delaney’s newsletter free of charge on a weekly basis.
The absence of a sin bin trial with blue cards was a notable topic as the governing body of football announced plans to enhance player conduct on Saturday.
According to the PA news agency, blue cards were going to be included in a trial of sin bins at advanced levels of the sport. The International Football Association Board (IFAB) was expected to release details of the trial last month.
On February 8, news outlets discussed blue cards which received criticism on social media and from individuals such as Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou. The release of the trial information was postponed due to additional discussions at the annual general meeting on Saturday.
The president of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, stated on Friday evening that he was not informed about the intention of using blue cards in the trial and expressed his complete opposition to the idea. On Saturday, a press release from IFAB announced that two other protocols, aimed at aiding referees in managing player behavior, were approved. These included the option for referees to designate captain-only zones and cooling-off areas in cases of large-scale confrontations.
However, the sin bin trial or blue cards were not stated, only that “current guidelines for temporary dismissals in youth and grassroots football” had been “enhanced”.
The statement stated that any potential broader usage will be assessed after evaluating the effects of these modifications.
Ian Maxwell, chief executive of the Scottish Football Association and a director of IFAB, stated that progress on implementing sin bins has not been delayed.
At a press conference after the annual general meeting, he stated that the protocol had been reviewed and updated. The effectiveness of these changes in the grassroots football setting will be evaluated before determining the next steps for the trials.
“However, there is no possibility of returning to the previous state.”
Mark Bullingham, the counterpart of the Football Association, announced that updates have been made to the current sin bin protocol. These updates include incorporating yellow cards associated with the sin bin into the totting-up process. This means that if a player receives a ‘sin bin’ yellow card followed by a regular yellow card, they will be shown a red card. Additionally, there will be clearer guidelines in the law regarding when referees should allow dismissed players to reenter the field after a temporary dismissal.
Bullingham stated that it was amusing that the announcement of a potential sin bin trial at higher levels in November did not receive any negative reactions at the time.
I believe the events that occurred in February posed a communication challenge, and for various reasons, managers in the Premier League felt it may pertain to them.
“I do not believe it was the initial plan for the trial to commence in the Premier League. After thorough review, we have ultimately decided to focus on perfecting the protocol for specific areas of the game in which it is applicable.”
Contests can experiment with a new rule that grants goalkeepers the ability to hold onto the ball for eight seconds, rather than the usual six. In addition, they can choose to restart the game with either a corner or a throw-in for the opposing team, instead of awarding an indirect free-kick for holding the ball for too long in the penalty area.
Maxwell has confirmed that the referees will use their fingers to count down the last five seconds.
IFAB has confirmed that the eight-second rule trial, along with regulations for captain-only zones and cooling-off periods, will first be implemented for competitions up to the third tier of domestic leagues.
The IFAB announced that starting from July 1, additional and permanent concussion substitutes, which were previously approved for trials in December 2020, will be included as an option in the Laws of the Game. This decision was made due to the continued interest from leagues and unions in testing temporary concussion substitutes, as they believe it provides better safety for players.
The secretary general of FIFA, Mattias Grafstrom, has also verified that referees at the upcoming Olympic football tournaments will announce the results of VAR reviews, similar to what was done at the Women’s World Cup last year.
Grafstrom was also questioned about FIFA’s policy on including transgender individuals.
He stated that they are currently in a good position, but further examination is needed. They are engaging in discussions both internally and externally. However, it is challenging to make a final decision without completing the necessary work, as it is still a work in progress.
Source: independent.co.uk
