The International Football Association Board will discuss the introduction of “sin bins” for certain yellow card offenses at their next annual meeting.
IFAB meet on March 3 at Wembley and they’ll debate the idea of temporary dismissals during the meeting. The punishment would be handed out for some yellow card-worthy offenses, like diving, but it’s not intended to replace yellow cards completely. Under the new measure, players would be sent to the sidelines for five to 10 minutes, then reintroduced to the match after their “suspension” was finished.
The measure’s already been tested extensively in UEFA development competitions and grassroots leagues worldwide over the past three years, and if approved, sin bins would come in at youth and amateur levels to start. From there, it could be introduced to the professional game within two to three years.
Sin bins have been used in both rugby and hockey for years, and it makes sense to try it in soccer. The free-flowing nature of the game would likely make a short temporary suspension an effective deterrent to some unwanted offenses, without compromising the integrity of the competition.
It’s worth a shot at least.
