Tag Archives: Laws of the game

IFAB thinks rolling substitutes are good idea

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The IFAB meeting in Northern Ireland took place to talk about the Laws of the Game. One of the new things they want is rolling substitutes for grassroots football. That means that kids can go off and back on during the same match. That means everybody can play. It is also a solution for players who have been injured before. Coaches don’t know how they will come back and how long they can play. If pain comes back, the coach can replace him.

May this sub re-enter the pitch soon? IFAB thinks rolling substitutes are good idea for f.e. grassroots football

May this sub re-enter the pitch soon? IFAB thinks rolling substitutes are good idea for f.e. grassroots football

A test with rolling substitutes worked good in the UK and I must say it also works pretty well ono lower levels in The Netherlands.

The IFAB did not make any decisions for changes in the Laws of the Game yet. That will be done in the meeting early next year. Member associations can bring their ideas up the table until the 1st of December.

What else did they talk about? Some points were pointed out by the FA.

  • The new technical panel representing match officials and a football panel made up of experts from across the world. A good way of .
  • There is still no solution for triple punishment (red card, penalty plus a ban) for a player who denies an obvious goal-scoring opportunity.Uefa referee boss Collina earlier suggested this rule needs to be changed.
  • The IFAB was sceptical about plans to look again at the increased use of video technology. The Dutch FA recently announced they want to do that. They already test with it during matches in the Eredivisie. More about the Dutch experiment.

If must pick one rule you want to change in football, which one would that be? Please share it below.

Answer: 46 is max number of cards before abandoning game

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Here’s the answer of the question: How many cards can a referee give to active players during a competition match on highest amateur level before he needs to abandon the match?

The correct answer is C.

The explanation. I got questions about the number of substitutes. That is three.

A referee could book all players from both teams: 2 x 11 = 22 yellows. Then the coaches could use substitues and all substitues could get booked as well. Plus 6 yellows = 28 yellows. From each side 4 players can receive a second yellow + following red. This ads 8 players x 2 cards (= 16). Add this to the previous 28 and it makes 44. The next time a player receives yellow (and subsequently red [cards 45 and 46]) the game has to be abandoned because one team has less than 7 players.

Someone mentioned that there could be in incident after 44 card for which the referee has to send off more than one player with his second yellow. Fact is that the referee needs to abondon the match after giving the 46th card. Other cards have no influence anymore, because the referee “needs to abondon the match” at 46.

Offside or just a stupid own goal?

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Zanetti had a big smile on his face after he kicked the ball hard behind his own goalie. Just couldn’t stop laughing about this stupid action.

But what he didn’t know that the goal in the match Parma – Inter didn’t count. Referee Antonio Giannoccaro took over the signal of his assistant Claudio La Rocca, who made an offside call for the attacker close to Zanetti.

What would you say: stupid action by the defender or correct call by the assistant because the attacker is influencing Zanetti’s play although he didn’t touch the ball?

Referees in the media (week 42 and 43)

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‘Referees in the media’ will be published each Monday on the Dutch Referee Blog and provides remarkable or interesting quotes and links to articles worth reading.

It’s unbelievable here.

Said Bas Nijhuis in preparation of his first Champions League match Olympiakos – Dortmund on Voetbal International Radio. Last weekend he also got his first Ajax – Feyenoord classic, which he handled pretty well.

“You’ve to give the red card, but you feel that yellow and a penalty kick is severe enough.”

Again Bas Nijnhuis about tackling a player in a goal scoring position.

To give a penalty kick and possibly a yellow card is quite sufficient.

A plea for change of the Laws of the Game from German referees in the same week.

“The correct taxation of the referee’s revenues rests with the referees themselves.”

States the German FA (DFB) General Secretary Wolfgang Niersbach after tax officers swept into DFB headquarters.

“Consistency is not just for referees but also for their critics.”

Good read by Paul Wilson from The Guardian, who compares two decisions by referees. One sticks to the book, other uses game management. Both were supposed doing the wrong thing.

“If there was no stress, it would not be normal.”
Says Romuald Bourgois, regional director of a French post office, and now followed on a matchday by French newspaper Le Parisien (link is to the in English translated article).

“Offside has become too complicated.”

Says Franz Beckenbauer, who’s part of the Fifa panel that suggest new rules to the board of the governing body.

Referees “fear for their safety when they step on the pitch”.

15 referees refused to officiate in the Oldham Sunday Football League.

15 minute stop to check the Laws of the Game

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Referees, always make sure have the number of the FA office in your cellphone, just in case you forgot the latest changes in the football rules.

The Dutch women’s match between Odysseus’91 and Wartburgia on second amateur level was stopped for at least fifteen minutes, because referee Nielen was not sure he made the right decision. He awarded a penalty kick for the away team. The taker shot the ball on the post and after that she kicked the ball into the net.

Nielen’s decision: no goal, because a player can’t touch the ball twice after a free kick or penalty kick. But the Wartburgia assistant referee (Dutch system only has refereeing trio’s from the FA at highest levels) said the rules had been changed, so the goal should count.

Nielen doubted and made a call to the KNVB, the Dutch FA, and after fifteen minutes he got his answer: correct decision. “Fortunately, I did”, said a happy referee afterwards to Duch newspaper de Volkskrant.

Red card in a friendly: yes or no?

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Last weekend I watched a friendly match and the referee didn’t give a card. In my opinion he could give at least one direct red card.

Should players not be booked for an offence because it’s a friendly? Should referees change their match policy in non-official matches? Do you see it more often that the man in black doesn’t show a red card in a such matches? Let me know what you think. Red or yellow card in a friendly: yes or no? (and why)