Soccer Should Crack Down on Abuse of Referees
The sport’s lawmakers are under attack for new proposals to punish dissent against referees. They should stick to their guns.
Who would want to be the man in the middle?
Photographer: Simon Stacpoole/Offside via Getty ImagesSoccer’s top rule-making body is backing away from its own plan to amend the laws of the sport to reduce cynical fouls and player misbehavior toward referees. The International Football Association Board, or IFAB, has decided to postpone the introduction of a new “blue card” as part of trials for temporary dismissals akin to the penalty box in ice hockey and sin-bins in rugby union.
According to ESPN, there will be no announcements “until after the IFAB Annual General Meeting (AGM) on March 2, when all proposed trials and law changes are discussed before being approved for use from June 1.”