Football is learning its hockey lesson at last

IT was 2009 when hockey first experimented with a self-pass rule; 2010 when it became law. and seven years later, football has caught up. well, better late than never.

Former referee David Elleray, the man at the head of the International Football association Board which floats new rules ideas, was once a geography teacher and housemaster at Harrow school. Very posh, Harrow. They play hockey, like most public schools do. Maybe Elleray saw it there. Either way, as the toffs would say, hurrah. Public school hockey could be about to change football for the better. The self- pass would positively revolutionise football, overnight.

Elleray has included it among a number of excellent proposals in an IFaB strategy document, just released. a Luis suarez rule, for instance, responding to the moment the Uruguayan striker deliberately handled on the line to prevent a goal by Ghana in a world Cup quarterfinal. suarez saved a header by Dominic adiyiah in the last minute of extra time with the score tied 1-1. He was sent off but asamoah Gyan missed the penalty and Uruguay won a shootout 4-2.

Elleray wants a penalty goal to be awarded in such circumstances, as a penalty try is in rugby. This makes perfect sense. The only issue is that, as that match also took place in 2010, it is another step forward that football needed seven years to even contemplate.

In hockey, when a free hit is awarded, the player does not have to pass to a team-mate to restart. The player can simply put the ball down and start running with it. He or she doesn’t have to wait for the referee’s whistle, either. Rugby has a version of this, too. It is called tap and go.

In hockey, the defending team must retreat five yards. That would be 10 in football. But if the taker wants to go quickly, the opposition can be within that range — as long as they do not attempt to play the ball. any intervention is a sin-bin offence — or a yellow card in football. Elleray argues this would benefit attacking play by eradicating tactical fouls but it does more than that. Yes, it makes the game faster and benefits the attacking team, but self-passing also eradicates dissent.

who would waste time arguing with the referee when, as soon as the foul is given, Lionel Messi can put the ball down and start dribbling? These days hockey players simply sprint into their defensive positions without a murmur because the game is up and running again. It is a magnificent rule.

and it hasn’t changed the way hockey is played; it hasn’t made players selfish, or the game one- dimensional. It is still as much about passing as it ever was. Defenders know the rule now and quickly regroup. Most restarts amount to a short run and a lay-off.

The essence of play remains the same — and if you wish to go direct, you still can. The self-pass is only an option, no more. Leigh Griffiths can do his thing from 25 yards if he wishes. Joe Hart still won’t be sleeping easy at night. The self-pass proposal hasn’t made headlines, because included in the IFaB document is an even more ground-breaking idea.

ELLERaY wants to stop the clock when the ball goes out of play, and have 30-minute halves of pure action, rather than halves of 45 with a lot of time-wasting and faffing around.

again, it’s the smart move. No more tactical delays from substitutions, goal-kicks, free-kicks, corners, throwins, even goal celebrations. The clock goes live only when the ball goes live. and despite the shorter halves, fans would actually see more football action this way.

It’s radical, though, meaning there will be resistance. Detailed thought is needed. who would be on clock duty — surely not a match official already overburdened with responsibility?

There would have to be an off- field time- keeper, linked to a stadium clock. would that be too expensive for smaller clubs? How far down the league system could we go? There is much discussion to be had.

The self-pass is different. It comes fully formed, fully tested, fully considered. Just not by football. we’ll probably have to wait another seven years, first.