Soccer sin-bins: referee weighs in on potential impact of new send off rule

Reports of the International Football Association Board introducing a blue card for dissent have surfaced this week to mixed support but it is not the first time sin-bins have been seen in the game.

Though questions remain about the implementation of the cards, which would see players removed from play for 10 minutes, sin-bin rules were already being explored by Football Wagga.

The association has put the proposed sin bin rule to referees for feedback for use in all junior and senior competitions.

Glenn Payne has been a referee for over 30 years, and is on the fence about the introduction of dismissals in Wagga.

Seeing its merits for junior grades, he said the implementation of a dissent-based dismissal in senior grades could open referees up to more vitriol.

"For juniors there is more justification for it, the kids need to learn that respect of match officials, because that flows through to senior games," Payne said.

"With the senior competition, there are pros and cons involved with it."

Payne raised concern that if a blue card was issued late in a game referees could be further targeted by players or spectators for not issuing cards earlier in the game.

He said that ideally clubs should be able to manage their players before referees are forced to step in to control them.

Preferring to give players a chance to calm before sending them from the field, he called for open communication prior to sanctions.

"If it's a high pressure game, that kind of card could create more issues than it solves," he said.

Though there hasn't been a specific card before, Payne noted that there have been sin-bin rules available to referees prior to now.

Rarely forced to call them into action, he has sent junior players off the field in other associations.

He said the five-minute penalty was beneficial in teaching players that their actions and presence on the field is important.

Unsure if he would like to bring the sin-bin rule into the local competition this season, he anticipates the way a sin-bin or blue card was utilised at local level would be different than in professional leagues.

While dissent continues to be a topic of discussion across competitions, Payne believes perception of how games are refereed is a bigger issue.

"I don't know whether it's dissent or the expectations," he said.

"Because of what they see on the TV with technology and whatnot, I don't know whether the expectations are higher at a grassroots level, what people need to realise is that we're playing at a grassroots level, there's no lower competition.

"I don't know whether it's the expectation that has gotten higher because of what you see on TV with technology or whether it's just society in general these days, but the expectation is a lot more.

"At the end of the day we play sport because we want to be fit and we want to enjoy it and referees are exactly the same."

IFAB first approved the use of sin-bins, or temporary dismissals, in 2017 for grassroots competitions provided associations had permission from their national football association.

The rumours have come to light with mixed support.

Temporary dismissals are currently enacted for several grassroots associations across the country, and are mandatory in all junior competitions in England.

Football Wagga has not confirmed the implementation of a sin-bin rule for 2024.