Blog - The Renegade on Sin Bins

Last week I left you with a bit of teaser copy about what FIFA could do to stop the thuggery that the Dutch got up to in the World Cup Final.

Shortly afterwards I received this e-mail from Peter Parkin.

It won’t take much for the powers that be to put an end to the world cup final saga and if sin bins were in place we as match officials would not have the problems that we do and a whole load of bureaucracy and red tape.

It would make our job and the FA / Counties a lot easier. I referee at Stevenage Borough Academy on Monday & Wednesday nights no doubt you have seen many of the 6-a-side leagues that have popped up round the country.

Sin binning players works and it is easily done in an 11 a side game.

It can be done you know it, I know it - all we have to do is get the ear of the right person in the right place and once the train is motion there will be no stopping it.

Peter Parkin

This is exactly what I was thinking we need in the game. I’ve seen it work at local Rugby Union matches, I’ve heard it works at Hockey and we all know it’s used in Ice Hockey.

If it can happen at the grass roots on these sports then it must be able to work in our game.
Cast your mind back to the World Cup Final – 4 cards shown in the first 22 minutes. Now if these miscreants had been ushered off the field for 10 minutes of playing time – and that’s the critical thing – 10 minutes of playing time the guilty people would have been rightfully punished whilst those who the crimes were committed against would get the benefit of the punishment.

Instead Van Bommel and De Jong (to name but two) will get the prescribed £6 fine and 3 points on their licence. With what benefit to the game, what benefit to the opponent and - more importantly for us as referees – what benefit for us?

When Peter sent in his e-mail I asked him to talk about his experiences in 6-a-side football and here is his response.

Jeff,
Having refereed at Stevenage Borough Football Academy for the last 3 seasons, on a weekly basis, in the 6-a-side cages they have which are superb for this kind of football. I have a very simple rule in my arsenal that controls every single team and that is the use of a sin bin.

In a game that has 20 minutes halves the one thing that handicaps any side (no matter what division they play or how good the team is) is the sanction of a player being sent to the Sin Bin for 2 of those minutes due to his committing a cautionable offence (for which he would receive a caution) in this case it is a blue card.

Subsequently should he receive a second blue card he is again sent to the Sin Bin for a further 2 minutes. Should this happen a third time that person takes no further part in the game. When a team is reduced from 6 to 4 players (as with an 11-a-side game) the match is abandoned.

As with a second caution a player is sent from the field of play, in this instance man management is used and a player is given one last chance to stay on the pitch (teams pay over £30 each to play in the league) so all players are aware that we as referees are giving them plenty of opportunity to control themselves and stay within the rules of the game.

This system can be easily adapted to the 11-a-side game whereby a match official’s job may incur some added administration and man management on the day of the game but in the long run rid the game of bureaucracy and red tape which is clogging up the system at this moment in time.

Also, adding to the game as a power play at this level would mean a caution is punished there and then and the opposing team gains an advantage which would make things very interesting, the intricacies of this rule change can easily be incorporated in today’s game by the powers that be. In the process make it more exciting for the paying public and ending the days of games like the World Cup Final.

I have lost count the amount of times players have berated someone (not me) for reducing their side by a player which in the confines of a 30x20m pitch means the remaining players have to up their workrate quite considerably.

THIS RULE WORKS

If ever there was a rule change crying out to be changed it is this one......

Regards

Peter

Thanks Peter.

Peter (and his fellow 6-a-side referees) use this tool regularly and in my humble opinion the 11-a-side game is ready for a trial at a serious level of the game sooner rather than later.

Over the week I was talking to John Morton who organises the Premiership Delegates and he told me that this idea has got air time at their technical meetings.

So people in the professional game and also us grass roots referees think it’s worth a shot.

If I was in charge of FIFA I would take the decision to get this trialled and if it proves successful implemented with great speed.

They (FIFA) have to do something pretty darn quick!

Three Sundays ago they swerved a massive curved ball by the skin of their teeth – remember the screaming and childlike Arjen Robben should have put the Dutch in the lead.

750 million spectators worldwide would have seen thuggery triumph over artistry. That would have been a disaster for the game that you and I both love.

This not a rant against FIFA they’ve done many fine things I just think that as with all giant corporations they’ve become too distanced from the people at the sharp end.

After all what do you or Peter Parkin or me, for that matter, know about the game?
We simply go out week in week out controlling footballers either on the park or in the cages (I think that’s where some of them should stay!) or coaching youngsters to find a career path in the profession we love.

Of course if you know why Sin Bins wouldn’t work in football please let me know.

Likewise if you have concerns because of this or that regarding SB’s please let me know.

It’s only by exchanging ideas that we progress and in this age of instant communications these days we can make our voices heard.

And finally…

This season I’m planning to do a series a short YouTube videos discussing what the top boys are doing well (and perhaps not so well) so you and I can learn from them.

I’ve posted 3 already –http://www.youtube.com/user/jefftherenegaderef . I don’t think that Steven Spielberg will be quaking (yet) but I’m getting better.