Ice Hockey & Rugby Can

[jambutty]

This thought has been in my head for a number of years and no doubt in a number of other heads too so why can’t football follow ice hockey and rugby’s example and introduce the “Sin Bin”?

Football has developed into a ‘cheats charter’ and it really is time that FIFA, EUFA and the FA got to grips with the problem and tried to stamp it out. Yes I know, it’s a ‘mans’ game and it’s a contact sport but men do not pull shirts, push players, lean on an opponent, wrap an arm around a player and throw their arms about wildly. Nor do they ‘fall over’ when an opponent comes within five yards - especially in the penalty area. Cheats do!

Any foul deserving of a “Yellow Card” would qualify the recipient for a 5 or 10 minutes spell in a “Sin Bin”.
Two “Yellow Cards” would still add up to a “Red Card” and the recipient would be sent off.
If a team concedes a goal with a player or players in the “Sin Bin” then the ‘sentence’ is nullified and all their players return to the field of play.

When a player has “served his time” he re-enters the field of play at the half way line on the instructions of the fourth official and not the referee so there would be no need to wait for play to stop. With all four officials being in touch with each other by radio this should not present a problem. A simple call to the ref that a XXXXXXX player is coming on would be enough. Naturally the fourth official would ensure that the ball was well away from the half way line and would be obliged to wait until it is at least 30 odd yards away.

THE EFFECT. It would punish the offending team during the match and not at some time in the future against a different team. It’s all very well showing a yellow card and awarding a free kick but on many occasions a potential attack on goal grinds to a halt and the defending, fouling team gets the opportunity to defend in depth.

It would make the arm flinging thugs think again where they put their elbows. It would also make the so called professional or reckless foul a thing of the past.

A “Sin Bin” would concentrate the minds of thugs and cheats. It did in rugby and enhanced the game.

I think that the football authorities should give the “Sin Bin” a trial in pre season friendly matches to assess the impact.