A few days back football’s decision makers, the International Football Association Board (Ifab) laid out their plans to introduce a proper test of professional ten minute sin bins following, in their view, the difference had made to the game at grassroots level following its introduction in 2019.
Ifab have not yet confirmed what professional levels will conduct this test, but the original plan is to use the sin bins for cynical (professional or tactical) fouls and as a replacement, presumably for, yellow and red cards. As part of their future changes, the will also be an introduction of a rule limiting only a side’s captain as being capable of approaching a referee.
The proposed changes are still subject to full approval at the annual general meeting next March, but following what can only be described as the disaster that has become the Video Assistant Referee technology, not everyone is in favour of even more rule tweaks and new introductions to the beautiful game.
One of those is current Everton manager Sean Dyche who not only does not see the point behind introducing sin bins, he has called on the decision makers to ‘leave the game alone’ and he had some additional thoughts on streamlining the VAR process, saying that the on pitch monitor was now causing ‘mayhem’ and he does not feel that additional communication would actually improve things – as naturally fans would still often disagree.
“I can’t see that. The best refereeing performances are the ones you don’t notice. Leave referees alone – I say take everything away, take the screen away, the noise away and let them get on with their job. There is a suggestion that it would allow the fans to understand but, most stadiums I have been in, the fans don’t understand just because a referee has given an opinion. That is unlikely to quell a fanbase when there are 40-50,000 in attendance.”
Plenty of fans would like to see referee’s taken away, and there will be many (irrespective of club colours) who agree with Dyche’s take on sin bins.
“I don’t know why they don’t leave the game alone at times, I don’t think it is needed. I don’t think it is wanted, personally, but fans might have a different view. How are you going to manage it? If a player goes off the pitch, how are you going to manage that? The health and safety? Is he warming up or is he allowed to sit down? Does he have to stay sitting down? Does he get two minutes out of the 10 to warm up again? I am serious, this is how the world has gone. It is an odd thing to consider but if it is brought in then that is the way it goes.”
Fans will be watching this one closely, as it is very unlikely that Ifab will now change their mind given all of the discussions that must have taken place to get them to the point of making an official announcement, and the devil will naturally be in the detail of how they expect sin bins to operate.
Again leaning on what remain as ‘VAR opinions’ physically define a tactical foul over simply a lazy one. If you can show it is that blatant and designed to create an unfair advantage, in effect, encouraging a team to park the bus for ten minutes is hardly a solution.