The International Football Association Board (IFAB) decided on Saturday not to introduce a new blue card as part of the sin bin tests.
Soccer lawmakers in November announced measures to improve player behavior and increase respect for referees, including temporary dismissals for dissent and specific tactical offenses, and allowing only team captains to speak to the referee.
Additionally, the IFAB also approved trials of “cooling off periods”, whereby, if the game became heated, the referees could separate the two teams for a period of time before play resumed.
The protocol for the trial, including the use of a blue card, was due to be announced by the IFAB on February 9, but was shelved after a huge backlash following a leak the previous day. FIFA intervened to issue a statement saying that stories about the introduction of the blue card were “incorrect and premature”.
– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (US)
FIFA, world soccer's governing body, was frustrated that the IFAB planned to press ahead with an announcement before its Annual General Assembly on March 2.
The IFAB meets in November to discuss all the ideas put forward by member associations and possible changes to the laws, and decide which should go ahead or be tested. While that list is usually approved, it still requires a vote at the Annual General Meeting, which this year was held near Loch Lomond in Scotland.
The IFAB is made up of the four British football associations (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland), who have one vote each, and FIFA, which represents the other 207 national associations, with four votes. Any change to the laws must obtain at least six of the eight votes, meaning that no resolution can be passed without FIFA's agreement; At the same time, FIFA cannot make changes without the support of two of the associations.
The sin bin was introduced into rugby in 2001, where there has also long been a rule meaning that only the captain can approach the referee, and there are rarely problems with players surrounding the referees.
However, dumpsters are not completely new to football. They have already had a successful implementation at the lower levels of football since 2019-20, with players ordered to leave the field for 10 minutes if they show disrespect to a referee.
Grassroots football in England, which has a particular problem with player abuse of referees, has been using the yellow card to indicate infringement in 31 leagues for the last five seasons.
However, if the sin container is to be leveled up, the IFAB wanted a different color so that participants and fans could distinguish the fact that a player is being told to leave the field for a short period, and planned to use blue.
The sin-bin trial, which will initially last 12 months, will include situations where a player deliberately eliminates an opponent in an attacking situation when a red card is not warranted.
An example of this was the Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini who dragged the Englishman Bukayo Saka by the neck in the Euro 2020 final.
However, this means that fans will not see proof of the sin-bin in top-level competitions such as the Premier League, LaLiga, the Champions League, Euro 2024 or the Copa América. Testing over the course of next season will not be allowed at the highest level, and it would not be until 2026-27 before he could move up a level.
Indeed, there have been several trials in lower leagues in recent years aimed at combating dissent, such as moving a free kick 10 yards forward, which have been deemed unsuccessful and have not been included in the Laws.
Sources have told ESPN that there is limited support for sin bins among the major leagues, and the Football Association is unlikely to trial it in competitions such as the Women's Super League and FA Cup.
Only three changes to the laws were approved, applicable as of July 1. Deliberate handball, where there is no intention to play the ball, will be punished with a red card, which currently only applies if a goal or obvious scoring opportunity has been denied. Hands that result in penalties will be treated the same as fouls, which will reduce the number of yellow and red cards for the infraction.
Additionally, it has been added to the rules that the ball must be above the center of the area in a penalty kick, which was not previously defined.
The time limit for goalkeepers to have the ball has been increased from six to eight seconds; otherwise, possession will revert to the opposing team.
The IFAB also said that additional permanent substitutions for concussion will be enshrined in football laws, but that the implementation of the rule is up to the organizers of individual competitions.
“In terms of permanent concussion substitutions, the trial we have carried out has effectively concluded and that is now enshrined in the laws of the game,” Ian Maxwell, director general of the Scottish Football Association, told reporters.
“It will be up to the competitions to determine if they want to use permanent concussion substitutions per protocol.”
The protocol allows a team to replace a player with a suspected head injury without this counting towards the allocation of substitutes.
Reuters reporting contributed to this report.
