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      Paul Merson fears ‘the game will be killed’ as football prepares for huge rule change

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      PAUL MERSON has slammed the potential introduction of sin-bins to football.It was revealed yesterday that blue cards could be brought into the game.
      Paul Merson thinks sin-bins will ruin footballCredit: @SkySportsNews
      Blue cards could be introducedCredit: Getty
      Players on the receiving end will have to spend ten minutes off the pitch if they are guilty of committing a cynical foul or dissent towards an official.
      All offences are currently punished with a yellow and similarly to a current booking, two blue cards for a player will mean they are sent off.
      Former England international Paul Merson has been highly critical of the controversial proposal that could be tested in the FA Trophy and Vase competitions next season.
      The Sky Sports pundit said: “They’re trying to copy rugby, they are very good at it, they’ve been working on it for a long time.
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      “But their sin-bin is massive, you’re talking seven to ten points, the game opens up – it’s very rare you are not going to get majorly punished.
      “In football, you just sit ten behind the ball and the game will be killed.
      “The ball will go out and they’ll jog and get it, they’ll waste time.
      “Then someone else will be sin-binned and everybody will be looking at the scoreboard going: ‘Tom is coming back on in four, so and so is back in three, what will be then? Then we will be 10 vs 10.’
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      “That’s how it’s going to be. That’s not football. They’re ruining the game.
      “It doesn’t have to be changed that much, we are talking about the greatest sport in the world and you’re trying to change it.”
      Huge football rule change set to be introduced with BLUE CARD and players dumped in 10-minute sin bin
      “10 vs 11 doesn’t always work. It kills the game sometimes.”
      Merson claims the footie law makers at Ifab are focusing on clamping down on the wrong offence.
      He continued: “It’s when people are cheating that’s what we’ve got to stop – that’s what they’re not looking at.
      “Nowadays people are going over and if they go over and don’t get a penalty it doesn’t matter.

      “But they might as well try with the people upstairs, who haven’t got a clue, let’s be honest, they haven’t got a clue.
      “So why wouldn’t you chance your arm?”
      There are no plans at this stage to implement sin-bins in next season’s major competitions.
      Ifab have also discussed other four other major rule changes.
      Time-wasting goalkeepers could have a corner given against them and matches could be stopped after flare-ups for “cooling off periods”.
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      Meanwhile, defending players may now get a straight red card for any deliberate handballs in the box.
      And only the team captain is allowed to approach the referee to protest a decision.
      By Martin Lipton
      IT’S a sin for football to allow cynical cheats to get away with it.
      So introducing ten-minute sin-bins would be a big step forward for the game.
      In truth, it does not matter what card the referee shows – blue, green or pink.
      What matters is that, if the trial – which will not include the Prem or EFL at this stage – is a success, then it could become part of top tier professional football by the end of the decade.
      The argument is simple: Nobody likes what Fifa refs’ chief Pierluigi Collina describes as “anti-football action”.
      That is a deliberate, cynical act to stop a potential break by fouling a rival with absolutely no attempt to play the ball.
      If teams who do that have to spend the last 10 minutes of a game a man short, they could pay a real price, rather than just picking up a yellow card and “taking one for the team”.
      Sin bins for dissent might be a tougher argument to progress, although it might just give refs some respect back.
      But having players sat by the side of the pitch, powerless as their man-short side concedes a last-gasp winner, might actually change the way players behave. And it will be a statement of intent. More

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      Managers tell Premier League chiefs they have ‘absolutely no idea’ what the handball Law is as they’re asked for help

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      PREMIER LEAGUE managers have told league chiefs they have “absolutely no idea” what the handball Law is supposed to be.And now top flight leaders are asking managers and players to help them determine where referees should draw a line on handball and other incidents.
      Premier League managers have ‘absolutely no idea’ what the handball rule isCredit: Rex
      Now refs and league chiefs are asking players and bosses for helpCredit: Getty
      League leaders also concede that VAR delays are making the match-going experience “poor” for supporters.
      Despite that, they insist that Prem referees are “as good if not better than they have ever been”.
      And while there was a vow to speed up decision making, the league cannot promise that Uefa-style limb-tracking technology will be introduced next season.
      The concerns of top flight managers emerged at a meeting with the Prem earlier this season – following a number of contentious calls
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      Tony Scholes, the former Stoke executive who is now the Prem’s Chief Football Officer, said: “One manager made the comment, which was supported by a number of the others, that he had ‘absolutely no idea’ where the handball law was.
      “Then they commented on where they thought it should be..
      “We believe we have to serve the game and how football feels the Laws should be interpreted.
      “So we are now talking to captains, managers, club executives and consulting the PFA, LMA and Football Supporters Association to try to find agreement going forward.”
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      Howard Webb and his team at PGMOL have come under fire over a series of calls this term, with Arsenal, Wolves and Nottingham Forest among clubs who have written official letters of complaint.
      Scholes suggested that was a “disappointing” stance and said the rulings by the league’s Key Match Incident panel, made up of former players, managers and referees, indicated officials were “as good or even better than they have ever been”.
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      Prem figures said that of the 57 decisions changed by VAR so far this term, only THREE – Luiz Diaz’ wrongly disallowed goal for Liverpool at Spurs, a “handball” goal by Burnley’s Sander Berge that was ruled out at Nottingham Forest and the Kai Havertz penalty that was overturned in Arsenal’s win over Manchester United were mistakes.
      In addition, there were a further 17 incidents where VAR officials should have intervened, but Scholes pointed out: “Last year there had been 25 such errors by this point in the season and now we are getting 96 per cent of decisions right.”
      The time it is taking to come to some decisions is making the experience for the fan in the stadium a poor one, nowhere near good enoughPrem’s chief football officer
      Scholes, though, did accept that some VAR calls were taking too long, with officials wary of making mistakes and over-compensating.
      He said: “If the object was to improve the accuracy of decision-making VAR has been a significant success.
      “Any mistake can have an incredible effect on a club or individual and we know we can always improve. It is not perfect.
      “The time it is taking to come to some decisions is making the experience for the fan in the stadium a poor one, nowhere near good enough and we have to address that.”
      Scholes though, was unable to confirm that limb-tracking technology, already used by Fifa and Uefa, would be deployed in the Prem next season.
      He dismissed the idea that “issues” that have emerged are because of the Prem’s contract with Nike with the two governing bodies use adidas balls.

      However, Scholes said: “Semi-automated offsides will speed up the time to make decisions but I can’t say it will definitely come in next season.
      “We want to be certain it will improve the situation but in testing there have been issues on what we call the ‘edge’ cases, where many things are occurring at once.
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      “You might have a lot of bodies in one place and it is the ability of the system to identify different parts of the body.
      “For the vast majority of cases there won’t be an issue but in our competition we want to be clear before we introduce anything that we are not introducing something that will give us unintended or unanticipated problems in other areas.”
      So… what is the handball rule then?Apparently it’s a handball in the Premier League if:
      The hand/arm is clearly away from the body and outside the “body line”.The player clearly leans into the path of the ball.The ball travels some distance.The ball touches a hand/arm that is clearly raised above the shoulder.The player falls and the hand/arm is extended laterally or vertically away from the body.A deflection clearly makes no difference to the ball touching a hand/arm that is clearly extended away from the body and/or above the shoulder.Immediately after touching the ball with the arm, even accidentally, the player scores a goal or creates a goal-scoring opportunity
      (According to BBC Football) More

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      Chelsea women’s clash with Sunderland STOPPED after assistant referee goes down with injury as fans left concerned

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      CHELSEA’S clash with Sunderland was temporarily suspended tonight after an injury to assistant referee Ceri Williams.The Blues were taking on the Black Cats in the FA Women’s Continental Tyres League Cup when the incident occurred.
      Assistant Referee Ceri Williams went down in agony during Chelsea’s clash with SunderlandCredit: Getty
      Play was temporarily halted while medics rushed to treat herCredit: Rex
      Williams suffered the injury just after the ten minute mark of the quarter final at Kingsmeadow.
      In worrying scenes, the Welsh official was spotted laid flat on her back as the referee called for medical assistance.
      Play was stopped as Williams received treatment, before she was eventually replaced by the fourth official while appearing to support her left arm as she left the pitch.
      “I hope it’s nothing serious,” wrote one concerned viewer.
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      While another echoed those sentiments by stating they too “hope the problem is not serious”.
      The 28-year-old began refereeing in her hometown of Swansea.

      Williams worked her way up through Welsh grassroots football before then pushing ahead in her career as an assistant referee which has led to her being listed by Fifa.
      She has refereed at international level and also appeared on the line in the Uefa Women’s Champions League.
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      Williams was the first Welsh woman to officiate in a Uefa men’s competition when Celtic took on Real Madrid in the Uefa Youth League last season.
      And she also recently officiated in the Uefa Women’s U19 European Championship Final.
      BBC suffer huge technical error just seconds into Chelsea vs Man Utd as already-limited coverage descends into farce
      No update or confirmation of her issue tonight has yet been announced.
      Williams was spotted holding and supporting her left arm as she left the actionCredit: Rex
      The Welsh official made history last season in the Uefa Youth LeagueCredit: Getty More

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      Football chiefs considering shock FIVE new rules at crunch meeting including sin-bins and refs stopping matches mid-game

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      REFS could stop matches for a number of minutes to “calm down” feuding players under a plan to be discussed by football’s Law makers next month.A discussion on trialling official “cooling off periods” after flare-ups is on the formal agenda for the annual general meeting of the International FA Board to be held at Loch Lomond on March 2.
      Players could be sin-binned next seasonCredit: Rex
      Goalkeepers could be hit with a new punishment for time wastingCredit: Getty
      The handball law could also changeCredit: Rex
      The idea is the latest development as The Ifab seeks to improve player behaviour across the world game.
      It comes with members, including FA chief executive Mark Bullingham, expected to give the green light for formal trials of sin-bins for cynical game-stopping fouls from as soon as next season.
      And Law makers are also likely to confirm another trial of punishing time-wasting by goalkeepers by awarding corner kicks.
      The only Law changes on the agenda, which will be part of the game from next season, will see all deliberate defensive hand-ball offences in the penalty box bringing red cards while the ball must overhang or touch the centre of the spot at penalties.
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      But three trials aimed directly at improving behaviour are all on the table, with the prospect of official “cooling off” breaks called by referees if players are out of control a new idea.
      While it is unclear what protocols would be adopted, it is thought all players would be forcibly separated by the match officials.
      Refs would have the discretion to call time on play for as long as required to get tempers back in check.
      The other two trials were endorsed by Ifab – which is composed of the four Home Nations and four votes for Fifa – in November.
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      One will see competitions trialling a system where only a team’s captain can approach the referee during a game.
      The other will see 10 minute sin-bins in operation at senior level for the first time as Ifab seeks to reduce “anti-football behaviour” such as break-stopping, cynical fouls and mouthing off at officials.
      Shocking moment referee is CHASED OFF pitch by pitch invader in Port Vale vs Portsmouth clash
      Bullingham explained in November: “The areas we were looking at were dissent and tactical fouls.
      “There’s a real frustration for fans when they’re watching games when they see a promising counter-attack that’s ruined by that sort of foul.
      “We asked if a yellow card is sufficient punishment for that and don’t believe it is.”
      SunSport revealed in November that extending the scope of VAR to include second yellow cards and even free-kicks and corners was something Ifab would look into.
      This comes after Fifa refs’ chief Pierluigi Collina said it was time to investigate the “second stage” of the technology as long as it did not lead to further delays.
      FIVE POSSIBLE NEW RULES

      Sin-bins for cynical game-stopping fouls.
      Time-wasting goalkeepers to have a corner given against them.
      Defenders to get a straight red card for deliberate handballs.
      Only the team captain can confront the referee.
      Matches stopped after flare-ups for “cooling off periods”. More

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      New audio footage appears to show VAR get rules completely wrong with last minute penalty decision in huge clash

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      NEW audio footage appears to show VAR officials get the rules completely wrong leading to a decision that almost certainly cost Barcelona.The Spanish giants were in action against Getafe back in August and hunting for a late winner when they thought they were awarded a penalty.
      This one is 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐥 👀In the 103rd minute, Barcelona think they’ve got a penalty after the referee heads to the screen on the advice of VAR but they’re wrong…#GetafeBarca pic.twitter.com/W1ZUBP5Dly— ITV Football (@itvfootball) August 13, 2023

      VAR audio appears to have called into question a huge decision between Barcelona and Getafe in August
      Following an alleged foul on Ronald Araujo, referee Soto Grado went over to the pitchside monitor to review the footage.
      After the review, Grado deemed there to have been a handball offence by Barcelona player Gavi, so controversially ruled a free-kick to Getafe rather than awarding a penalty.
      The teams drew the game 0-0 thanks to the decision which came right at the end of the match.
      However, the audio files of that game have now been published, causing fresh controversy.
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      According to Mundo Deportivo, a voice can be heard at the start of the recording saying: “Caution Gavi”.
      But the report states that the voice is NOT of the referee or VAR referee, Iglesias Villanueva.
      It is not clear whether the voice was from one of the on-field or fourth officials or from the VAR assistant.
      If it is determined that the voice came from an official on the field of play, there would be no issue.
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      On the other hand, if the voice is deemed to have come from VAR then it would represent them overstepping what they are allowed to do.
      Football rule makers Ifab state a VAR review can only be initiated by the on-field referee and can only intervene at certain times.
      Mourinho’s BIGGEST Barcelona bust-ups over the years
      These are:

      1. Goal/no goal
      2. Penalty/no penalty
      3. Direct red card (not second yellow card/caution)
      4. Mistaken identity (when the referee cautions or sends off the wrong player of the offending team)

      Barcelona are said to have communicated “great discomfort” towards the news.
      The Catalan club are enduring a nightmare season, currently sit third in the LaLiga table, eight points behind Real Madrid in first.
      So bad have things become that manager Xavi announced he would be stepping down at the end of the season. More

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      ‘Most bizarre penalty ever seen’ given after defender’s moment of madness as fans left in disbelief

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      THIS is the bizarre moment a footballer gifts his rivals a last-gasp penalty after touching the ball with his hand as he congratulates his keeper on a save.Yann Baldez rushed up to goalie Moises Freitas to pat him on the head after he helped make sure the scoresheet stayed at 2-1 in favour of Maranhao in the dying minutes of their cup match against ABC on Sunday.
      A defender in Brazil gave away the ‘most bizarre penalty ever seen’Credit: X / TubeAlvinegro
      Maranhao’s Yann Baldez slapped the ball after his goalkeeper had claimed itCredit: X / TubeAlvinegro
      But in the emotion of the moment he managed to touch the ball as well as his teammate as he lay on the ground in his own penalty area.
      The ref pointed to the 12-yard spot and ABC’s Chilean striker Javier Parraguez saw his shot saved first time round before equalising with the rebound, seven minutes into second-half stoppage time.
      The extraordinary moment, which was being described by local media today as one of the most bizarre penalties ever, occurred during a Brazilian football competition involving Northeastern region teams called the Copa do Nordeste.
      Serie C side ABC was playing at home at the Frasqueirao Stadium in the city of Natal.
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      Footage of the moment Baldez gave away a penalty appeared to show him patting the ball TWICE as his keeper lay on the ground shielding it after an ABC defender put in a key tackle to stop a Maranhao attack.
      The astonished goalie was filmed looking at his teammate in disbelief as he saw him make contact with the ball before the ref awarded a penalty.
      One social media user, calling the penalty “the most bizarre I’ve ever seen in my life,” said: “The fact the keeper saved the spot kick and the Maranhao striker scored with the rebound made it even more painful.”
      Another claimed: “Half the players don’t know the rules of the sport they practice.”
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      In March last year soccer fans in Argentina were left baffled after witnessing a spot kick dubbed at the time as the “most stupid penalty in football history”.
      Top-flight team Independiente was awarded the bizarre penalty during a clash with Colon.
      Watch hilarious moment player gives away bizarre penalty
      Colon goalkeeper Ignacio Chicco initially placed the ball on the six-yard line before teammate Paulo Goltz motioned he should take it.
      Chicco passed the ball a yard to his right, with Goltz picking it up to place the ball himself.
      The Independiente players started jumping up and down appealing for a penalty, claiming Chicco had taken the kick therefore Goltz had handballed it.
      The referee initially waved away the home side protesters, motioning for players to stop surrounding him.
      But incredibly VAR intervened and eventually opted to give a spot kick which Martin Cauteruccio converted to level the game at 1-1.
      Like Sunday’s cup game in Brazil the match finished 2-2.
      Fans were shocked by the penalty incident in Maranhao’s cup clash with ABCCredit: X / TubeAlvinegro More

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      Premier League manager flips at assistant referee for ‘disrespectfully’ eating SANDWICH during conversation after match

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      SHEFFIELD UNITED manager Chris Wilder berated an assistant referee for eating a sandwich after his side’s 3-2 defeat by Crystal Palace on Tuesday.In a furious post-match rant, the 56-year-old claimed that “every 50/50 or tight decision” went against his team.
      Chris Wilder was left furious after Sheffield United’s defeat to Crystal PalaceCredit: Getty
      Wilder also revealed that he went to see referee Tony Harrington at full-time, but was taken aback by his assistant’s response to the criticism.
      Discussing the brief chat, Wilder told BBC Sport: “I’ve been to see the referee, I’ve told him that (every decision went against Sheffield United).
      “One of his assistants was eating a sandwich at the time and I thought that was a complete lack of respect.
      “Hopefully he was enjoying his sandwich while talking to a Premier League manager.”
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      Sheffield United took the lead through Ben Brereton Diaz just 20 seconds into the match against Palace.
      Eberechi Eze levelled the score in the 17th minute before James McAtee quickly restored the Blades’ advantage.
      Eze equalised once again at the half-hour mark with a fantastic strike into the top-left corner.
      And Michael Olise sealed the vital win for Palace in the second half.
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      After the match, Blades boss Wilder was highly critical of the referee’s performance.
      He said: “It’s yet again another ridiculous performance from the referee. 
      “I was told by a Premier League referee, who I’ve known for a long time and who’s as honest as the day is long. He said get ready because every tight decision will go against you. 
      “He said every 50/50 decision will go against you. We had two bookings in the first half of the game but they weren’t bookings. They were just a coming together. 
      “Their boy absolutely takes our goalkeeper out, we have to change goalkeepers and the boy doesn’t get booked. He says it was an accident, he clashed, it makes no odds if it’s an accident or it’s not an accident. It’s a yellow card.
      “We pick up four yellow cards, they pick up one at the death for time wasting. They’re taking an age. Their game management was good, but they’re taking an age.
      “We talked with Howard Webb about speeding the game up and making sure that referees have got a grip on that and he could hear the frustration for the supporters. He could see our frustration from our players. 
      “Every 50/50 or tight decision goes against us and if that’s what we’re going to have to deal with between now and the end of the season, we’re going to deal with it.” More

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      Major change to Premier League rules for next season with new VAR system approved

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      PREMIER LEAGUE referees may be able to explain VAR decisions to fans next season in a potential major change in protocol.PGMOL chief Howard Webb is keen to improve transparency between referees and fans.
      Referees will be able to explain their VAR calls inside stadiums next seasonCredit: PA
      And the new initiative could help repair damaged trust in top-flight officials.
      Football lawmakers Ifab have given the Prem the green light for refs to communicate their calls to those in the stadium.
      It comes following a successful trial of the new procedure in Mexico and Portugal.
      But the new plans would still need to be approved before being introduced by the Premier League.
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      Like in the Women’s World Cup and Club World Cup, the refs are expected to be mic’d up inside stadiums.
      And after consulting the VAR monitor and agreeing on a decision, they will then declare the basic reasoning over the PA system to the crowd – such as identifying who committed a foul or was offside for example.
      There was some criticism that the explanations at the Women’s World Cup were too basic and only copied what was displayed on the big screens.
      And one nervous official sparked chaos when she declared “no goal” before quickly correcting herself: “No, wait… no offside. Goal!”
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      But if it comes in for the Premier League, Webb will hope the chance for refs to give a brief overview should help reduce confusion and frustration for fans watching the game live in the stadium.
      However, in a blow to fans, it is understood there are no plans yet to make the full step towards rugby’s open dialogue system.

      In rugby, fans watching matches live on television are able to listen in to the conversations between referees, including those on the field and in the TMO room.
      This has proved incredibly popular in understanding decisions as they are made.
      But while football will not be introducing this in 2024-25, there is hope that broadcasters will be able to use the audio footage after games.
      The trial had mixed success at the Women’s World CupCredit: BBC More