Let's while away some time before the fourth reentry draft (players who have left the league, come back, left again, come back again, under the age of 26 and have less than 15 years of service). Let's think about ways to make the beautiful game ever more beautiful. Here are a few rule changes I'd like to see implemented: 1. Back-passing to the goalie: I think the goalie should be barred from picking up any kind of backpass. These days goalies are just as good with their feet as field players, and the offside rule means they usually have time and space to deal with a pass. It's making things too easy to let them just pick up headed or chested backpasses. 2. Team persistent infringement: I think teams, rather than just individuals, should be sanctioned for persistent infringement. Let a yellow be give to the captain if the referee thinks that a team (like, uh... the Revs) is using persistent fouling as a way to disrupt the other team. 3. Time-wasting on free kicks: When a team has been whistled for a foul, if a player on that team picks up the ball, it should be an automatic yellow. (If he simultaneously removes his jersey, it's an automatic red.) FIFA, are you listening?
1. Make offsides based on the 18 yard box where it's less subjective than it is today. It serves the same purpose to dissuade cherry picking and there would be fewer goals called back. Use goal line tech to get calls right. Maybe an AI opportunity to detect a player is offside with precision. 2. Make a red card less harsh. Maybe a 45 minute maximum. Getting a red in the 5' then playing 85 a man down all but kills the match as a competitive contest. 45 minutes is a long time to play down a man. 3. Make reffing a 2 man system like high school. That way one ref only needs to focus on their half and can confer with each other. Keep them on the same end all game so there's no advantage. You're effectively using the 4th official in a different role so would not require much change.
My only problem with that is some coach is gonna bend that rule to get in an extra tactical sub. I'd like that rule to be implemented, but I don't know how someone would prevent the potential abuse.
All shirt grabbing gets either a yellow or red (depending). The constant jersey grabs, as well as other "professional fouls," are ruining the game. So any kind of grab or jersey hold is a yellow. Anything serious is automatic Red. It will clean up in short time
The only one of these I like is the time wasting on free kicks rule. Could equally apply to throw ins. Also could be applied to grabbing the ball during the act of falling.
I want to see the diving out of the game. There are already rules against this so let's enforce them. Maybe more post game review with fines and suspensions.
A lot of the items above are just about enforcement of the current rules, rather than rule changes. Certainly there's plenty of allowance for punishing time wasting, interfering with quickly taken free kicks, and persistent fouling (although I like the idea of a team persistent infringement concept). My rule change thought on time wasting is to add two minutes of time for each minute wasted. The punitive factor might be enough to discourage it, or at least make players more creative in disguising it. Unfortunately, time wasting in particular is viewed as an art form in some leagues and will be hard to eradicate.
This isn't a rule change but rather a plea for consistency--i've watched and played soccer for over 40 years, and when one player elevates to win a header and the other one doesn't jump and lowbridges him or her, can this please be called a foul on the player who doesn't jump? It seems to be a total crapshoot nowadays based on whether the nonjumper grabs their head, back, etc. and whines, and given how dangerous it can be to the jumper, the person actually competing for the ball that is, I would love to see this clarified, codified in the game, and called consistently.
How about this: Anytime medical staff has to go on the field, the player they're tending has to leave the field for the same amount of time as he was on the ground. Also, purely for entertainment purposes, all stoppage time will be added to the end of the match.
I would like the games reviewed during the week and retroactive red cards issued for players diving -when the ref might have missed it during the game. I hate when the violators get away with it.
To combat persistent infringement, I'd like to see fouls punished like hockey with players off the field and their teams shorthanded Maybe, no time away for 1st foul, 2 minutes for 2nd and 3rd fouls and 5 minutes for 4th and subsequent folds
From the 85th minute on add twice as much time on for delayed throw in's and goal kicks. Also, for going to ground after fouls and if the player on the team who's ahead by a goal gets "Injured". If they are really injured they must also add at least commensurate time. They never seem to.
no PK shootouts. Instead, a series of 10 minute sudden death overtime periods. 1st period is 11 v 11. Every subsequent period, each team removes one player.
Imagine 2006 MLS Cup final, down to 5 v 5: Reis, Parkhurst, Ralston, Dempsey and Twellman vs Onstad, Eddie Robinson, De Rosario, Davis, Ching.
Do it like the NFL does. An independent doctor (not a team employee) evaluates the player and puts them in the concussion protocol if appropriate.
I would prefer that any time the medical staff came on, the player needed to sit out for a fixed time, say 10 minutes, which would allow for a full evaluation off the pitch for significant injury and would punish the team for a feigned injury. If the injured player got themselves off the field for the evaluation before the medical staff was brought on, there would be no required minimum time before coming back on.
That rule which says that if a player can't protect the near post then he's guaranteed to run the Revs for life.
I have for a long time believed that Yellow Cards are meaningless and Red Cards are too harsh, and would like to see both of them changed to bring the punishment system into the modern era. Yellow Cards: Attach a Temporary Dismissal to it. Temporary Dismissal or "Sin Bins" actually have an official rule set by IFAB, so I'll just link that for the details on how it works. http://www.theifab.com/laws/modific.../guidelines-for-temporary-dismissals-sin-bins Red Cards: No longer given for second yellow, so can only be given directly. This is because Yellow Cards are already punishing the team for 20 minutes. Player is put into the "Sin Bin" for 30 mins of the match (effectively 3x the punishment of a Yellow Card), can not re-enter the match but a sub can be used to replace the player after the sin bin time. Player can not play in the next match. Reasoning: By increasing the Yellow Card punishments, defenses are no longer allowed one "tactical foul" per player, per match. Such fouls like holding up a player from a break away, results in playing a man down for 10 minutes. Giving Yellow Cards more punishment allows us to more some of the Red cards harshness to it. Since the Yellow Card carries a team wide punishment (playing down a man) the Red Card can be reserved for only the most egregious of fouls. Still though, having a 90 minute suspension makes it too harsh when received early in the match. Making it a 30 minute suspension keeps is harsher than 2 Yellows, and could result in 40 minutes of suspension if the offending player had already served a 10 minute Yellow Card suspension. Early reds no longer change the entire match, but do allow the opposition adequate time to capitalize. Of course this is basically just stealing from Hockey, and increasing the time to suite the nature of soccer. Hockey power plays end if the short handed team is scored on, and I wouldn't be opposed to also implementing that also.
In regards to addressing time wasting and diving, the Sin Bins will actually contribute to that indirectly. By attaching an actual punishment to Yellow Cards, and making time wasting and diving a Yellow Card-able offense, you will see less of it. As it is now, there is nothing stopping a player from committing literally any yellow card-able offense. I honestly don't understand why fans get all riled up and call for a yellow card, it's completely and utterly meaningless as it stands.
Quinn, going with your comments, could you have more than one player in the sin bin? Just seeing how that would work?
- If Player A commits an act that injures Player B, and Player B has to leave the field for treatment, Player A must also remain off the field until Player B, or a substitute for Player B, enters the field. Even if the original act is not a foul. - I like the idea of the independent medical review of possible concussions. And either 1. allow the team of that injured player to insert a sub for the duration of the medical review or 2. stop all play until the review is complete. If we care about player safety, but subs are limited and no one wants to play shorthanded, the only way a potential injury will get the serious review it needs is if the injured club isn't penalized by playing shorthanded.