IFAB considering introducing 10-min sin-bin for showing dissent to referees

Players will be out for 10 minutes if they swear at referees

To combat referee misuse, the International FA Board (IFAB) is thinking of implementing 10-minute sin bins.

The Times reports that legislators are considering the introduction of 10-minute sin bins for professional competition dissent, in response to growing complaints around attacks and abuses by referees. Since 2019, successful trials in youth football have led to the possibility of expanding to professional competitions.

In order to minimise player interaction, IFAB is also considering implementing rugby’s captain-only refereeing system. The present rule, which permits the match official to flash a warning card if more than one participant is around him in an argument, would be greatly impacted by this.

With 88 disagreement fines in the Premier League thus far this season, the IFAB acknowledges participant misbehaviour as a serious problem and is talking about changing the Laws of the Game as a potential remedy.

A successful sin-bin trial resulted in a 38% decrease in dissent occurrences, and 72% of players, 77% of coaches, and 84% of referees wanted the trial to continue. This highlights the importance of protecting referees at all levels.

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“We have identified participant misbehaviour as a major problem for football and it will be the main topic for Ifab for the upcoming years,” IFAB Chief Executive Lukas Brud told The Times.

We are examining our options, including using the Laws of the Game or suggestions and instructions for further actions. Sin bins for dissension have been effective in youth football, and some think senior football may be used to test these at a higher level.

“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. There is also a lot of interest from different stakeholders for the idea where only the captain can approach the referee in a fair way. Players approaching in an aggressive manner simply cannot be tolerated any longer.

We have even seen on a number of occasions where players deliberately go behind a referee with others coming in front of him so he cannot get away. If only the captain can approach the referee, then afterwards he or she can explain to their team-mates what has happened. This has worked well in other sports such as rugby and basketball.”

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