Sin bins in football: Grassroots trial likely to be extended to professional game

Referee Cesar Ramos is confronted by players as he shows a yellow card to Morocco's Sofiane Boufal during last year's World Cup semifinal match against France. Photo / AP

After a successful grassroots trial, sin bins are set to be tested in professional football, and could be for tactical fouls as well as dissent.

Sin bins should be trialled at higher levels of football following their successful implementation in the grassroots game, the sport’s lawmaking body has agreed.

Temporary dismissals of players for offences such as dissent and specific tactical fouls were backed by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) at its annual business meeting.

IFAB board members also supported a proposed trial whereby only the team captain may approach the referee in certain major game situations.

This week’s meeting in London will shape the agenda for the organisation’s annual general meeting, to be held on March 2 in Glasgow, where any proposed changes to the laws will be considered for approval.

Protocols and a system for trialling will now be developed.

Board member Mark Bullingham, the chief executive of the Football Association, said: “When we were looking at sin bins the areas we were looking at were dissent, where it’s worked very, very well in the grassroots game in England.

“We’ve also spoken about other areas, particularly tactical fouls.”

Sin bins were introduced across all levels of English grassroots football from the 2019-20 season in an attempt to to improve levels of respect and fair play in the game.

The members also agreed on continuing to develop semi-automated offside technology to help on-field match officials speed up decision making.

The meeting discussed strategies to address the time lost in games and tactics aimed at disrupting the tempo, including the six-second time restriction for goalkeepers to release the ball, delaying restarts and managing injuries.

IFAB also agreed that, after the successful VAR decision communication trial conducted by soccer’s world governing body FIFA, in which the referee announces the final decision after a VAR review, the AGM should consider including this measure.

– AAP