Football's lawmakers could introduce 10-minute sin-bins as they consider major rule changes

Football's lawmakers could introduce 10-minute sin-bins as they consider a number of major rule changes to tackle misbehaviour in the game.

Back in October, the International Football Association Board (IFAB) identified that mass confrontations are "the primary reason" for match interruptions.

The body, who are responsible for determining the laws of the game, have previously discussed how to "mellow participants" by only allowing captains talk to referees.

And that point is set to be brought up again in London later this month, when they hold their Annual Business Meeting on November 28.

They will likely discuss a range of matters but a so-called "priority" is dealing with participant misbehaviour as referees continue to be driven out of the game by abuse and assaults, according to a report from The Times.

So far this season, there have been 88 bookings for dissent in England's top flight.

Perhaps the biggest rule change of all would be introducing 10-minute sin-bins for dissent in professional competitions.

Ahead of the 2019/20 campaign, the FA confirmed that Temporary Dismissals, commonly known as sin-bins, would be introduced nationwide across all levels of grassroots football.

The FA successfully piloted sin-bins during the 2017/18 season, and then extended it to a total of 31 leagues throughout the 2018/19 season as part of its commitment to improve the match day experience.

After gathering positive feedback from players, referees and coaches, sin-bins were rolled out across all leagues at grassroots level – and it has since received mainly positive feedback.

Speaking to The Times about the potential rule changes, Lukas Brud, who is the CEO of IFAB, said: “We have identified participant misbehaviour as a major problem for football and it will be the main topic for Ifab for the upcoming years.

"We are looking at what we can do either via the Laws of the Game or recommendations and guidelines for additional measures.

“Sin-bins for dissent have worked well in grassroots football, and some believe these could also be tested at a higher level, with trials in more senior football.

“Players may not worry so much about getting a yellow card for saying something inappropriate to a referee, but it can make a big difference if they know it means a tenth of the match off the pitch."

Sheffield United striker Oli McBurnie is the only player to receive a second yellow card for dissent this season. Image credit: Getty

He added: “It starts at the top. What the football idols do in a match, kids and adults in amateur football will copy the next day,” Brud added.

“There is a big problem with retaining referees or motivating people to start refereeing. They see what is happening on the pitches, they feel the abuse and are in fear of assaults.

“We need to protect the integrity and image of the game and help referees to manage improper behaviour better.

“There are testimonies even from referees in youth football about how they suffer with anxiety before matches, being unable to sleep, because they are worried about being abused, both verbally and physically. In some countries a large proportion of young referees are dropping out after their first couple of years.”

Topics: Premier League, England, FA

Jack Kenmare

Senior Journalist at SPORTbible with a passion for long-form journalism. Almost 10 years’ experience across online and print.

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