FA hope sin bin trial will tackle referee abuse
ThE FA will trial ‘sin bins’ at grassroots level from next season and could roll out the scheme to higher divisions if proven successful.
Leagues at step seven and below of the amateur game — the 11th tier down in football’s pyramid — have been invited by the FA to implement a system of temporary dismissals similar to rugby.
The 10-minute time-outs would only be handed to players who are cautioned for dissent, with the aim of sharply reducing the abuse that referees suffer.
Clubs are customarily fined £10 for each yellow card they receive, but there would be no charge for those booked under these circum- stances. The idea is rather to punish offenders with a meaningful and immediate sanction in an attempt to change behaviour that currently sees one in four bookings given for dissent.
The FA is not imposing the pilot scheme en masse but is inviting leagues to implement the rule change as each sees fit. Emails were sent out over the weekend with an initial response described as positive.
The move comes after a decision by the International FA Board, the body that determines the laws of the game, to allow national associations to change rules at grassroots level. Details of how the 10minute sin bins will work are still to be ironed out and may be tailored to each league. An additional official will inevitably be required to oversee the area and timings.
Eddie Pearce, chairman of the Central Midlands Football League in the seventh step of non-League football, told Sportsmail he welcomes the opportunity but key questions must be answered.
‘I think it’s an excellent idea, anything that might help reduce dissent is to be applauded,’ he said. ‘At the moment the problem is a player gets booked, the £10 fine goes to the club and they have to recoup it from the player, who sometimes thinks, “I’m not going to pay it”, and quits the club.
‘What you want to do is tackle the problem in a way that alters players’ behaviour. This is a very immediate way of doing that. It is a good initiative, we are interested in taking it up.
‘There are issues of how to police it. Let’s say a player gets sent to the sin bin and after two minutes is chomping at the bit to get back on. It could create more tension.
‘It will need a fourth official to keep check but there aren’t that many referees at our level and it could bring added costs. It’s a great idea but needs to be looked at very carefully.’
Meanwhile, a new penalty shootout system similar to the tennis tiebreak will be tested at the men’s and women’s European Under 17 Championships, which began this week.
It involves team A taking the first penalty, team B the second and third, team A the fourth and fifth and so on.
Research has shown the team taking the first penalty under current rules win 60 per cent of shootouts, suggesting they have an unfair advantage.