A new report has claimed sin bins could be introduced to the Premier League “as early as next season.”
The move, which would arguably be the biggest rule change in football since the alteration of the offside law, is “set to be introduced into professional football,” reports Ben Rumsby of the Telegraph.
He added: “Ifab has agreed in principle to testing the rugby-style measure in elite competitions such as the Premier League – potentially as early as next season.”
In rugby union, if players are shown a yellow card, they must leave the field for 10 minutes.
Decisions of today’s IFAB meeting, in short:
– Trial of only captain being able to approach the referee in certain major game situations
– Sin bins for dissent and specific tactical offences to be trialled at higher levels
– Stricter application of Laws for mass confrontations— Dale Johnson (@DaleJohnsonESPN) November 28, 2023
In football, sin bins have been trialled across England, including on Merseyside. Rumsby writes they “have worked successfully at tackling dissent for many years at grassroots and youth level.”
This is true to some extent, though personal experience for many of you reading this will tell you there are still plenty of problems.
The temporary dismissals last 10 minutes and are usually applied in cases of dissent. Whether this would be the same in the Premier League remains to be seen.
The report adds: “It’s understood that the trial will extend to cynical fouls, with one example understood to be Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini’s shirt-pull on England’s Bukayo Saka in the Euro 2020 final, which resulted in a yellow card only.
“The measure would equate to an ‘orange card’ and see offences deemed worthy of greater punishment than a booking, but not quite meet the threshold of a sending-off, clamped down on.”
This may benefit Liverpool as the Reds have often been known for not being wily enough in comparison with other teams.
Should these ‘cynical fouls’ be clamped down on, far more counter-attacking opportunities could arise using the pace of Luis Diaz, Mo Salah and Darwin Nunez.
The process of introducing sin bins is clearly still in its early stages and will no doubt cause a mixed reaction.
Let us know what you think of the potential changes in the comments.
