What one new rule would you add to improve football?

Question

I'm out at the FIFA World Cup reporting daily for Yahoo!. Check my blog at http://www.yahoo.co.uk/lee-sharpe .

Answer 1

Make it an offence to gesture to the referee, encouraging him to show a card to an opposing player. I hate this habit in the game! I'd also advocate the use of television match officials, much like in rugby.

Answer 2

1) Goal line cameras - but that's not a rule

2) Change the offside so that player cannot be offside if the ball is played from his own half - this will stop teams pushing up and give more room in midfield.

3) Stop this ridiculous goal hanging until the last moment to stop being offside - the old rule was clearer

4) Not sure about diving being a red - refs don't see it properly and there will be uproar the moment some attention seeking Mexican ref who has been bribed by the mafia sends Ronaldo off in a final! Yellow is enough.

5) Teams should have 2 players in the attacking half at all times to stop teams pulling everyone behind the ball.

6) Qualifying for the World Cup shoujd not be in regions, but over the whole world together now travel is so easy. It can still be seeded so the best 32 teams are there and there are fewer meaningless matches

Answer 3

When they set up the pools for the initial 32 teams, they make sure to put 2 good teams and 2 poor teams. It is their way of ensuring the same teams make it every time to the finals. Why not put Italy and Brazil in the same group along with Portugal and England. Give some of the not so great teams a chance to compete. I also think they need to change the qualifying matches. Why is Ireland a Team ranked 31st in the world not in but There are teams ranked in the 60s in it. Because Ireland had to qualify against England, France, Germany etc. Where as Angola the last ranked team to qualify at 62nd in the world may have only had to qualify against other lower ranked teams. And they should start giving out Oscars for the performances on some of those dives. You will never see a Rugby player cry like that over a little bump in the shin. Hell they kick the ball harder than the guy bumped them. Last World Cup the refs called more penalties for diving. Do it again this one.

Answer 4

Not really a rule, but a 3rd ref in the stands as in cricket, to assist the ref on the pitch by watching video play-back to allow the correct decision to be made or right player to be booked. Would take the pressure off refs who can't be all-seeing everywhere, even with their little helpers on the sidelines.
On that matter, how on earth can a linesman simulaneously see from exactly the correct level of the defenders, both the ball being played AND the advancing attacker's position? These subjective decisions would be eliminated by the 3rd Ref.
Also Sensors along the goal line or within the goal posts to ascertain when balls have truly crossed the line. They've had them at Wimbledon for donkeys and with all the money football makes, are you telling me there's not the cash there to prevent all these travesties happening? The technology must exist.
With both these changes, the deserving teams would go through and divers and dirty players would not be able to get away with it any longer. It must be gutting for honest players to be out-done by an inferior team that the entire world can see except for the Ref. It's ridiculous. Come on FIFA into the 21st century with you!

Answer 5

FIFA to make referee's have at least 2-3 years experience before going to nation wide tournaments like World Cup and Euro.
This World Cup 2006 is a disaster when it comes to the referee's. Graham Poll failed to send of that Croatian player after 2 yellow cards.
Then there's the Portugal game against Holland! FOUR RED cards in one match? That's too much.
Most of these referee's are brand new with no obvious experience of being on field or even some don't speak English or at least another language fluently.
They are simply dishing out cards easily and giving penalties.
I believe that this has destroyed a lot of hope for countries to win the cup yet alone the countries faith in FIFA to provide the best staff for the tournament
Maybe they should undergo more intense training before going nation wide

Answer 6

As lezan40 said, reduce the pay.

Decent engineers who design the aircraft that the fans take to the games earn 40k a year tops. A premier league footballer can earn that a WEEK. Who the hell deserves that for kicking a bit of leather into a net (only once every 6 or so games i must add.....)

To add rules constructively I would add rugby's Sin Bin and Video Referee. Any controversial decisions are sorted by screen. All controversial moments require the game to be stopped and this is spoiling the game, but if there is a screen it keeps the fans occupied by debate whilsts allowing the players a breather, AND the decision will be MUCH more likely to be the real one.

However it seems the "Oh.....REFEREE!!!" is too much a part of the game now. Shame.

Answer 7

Improve football? So we're saying football is better with more rules? Hmm, interesting theory you've got there Sharpey...

Adding more rules will not improve the game however streamlining the ones we have would definitely aid in improvements.

The offside rule, as it stands, creates constant chaos and cries of "it's just too complicated" by the likes of Alan Hansen and other pundits. Put it back to how it was and sod all this "the player has to be in an offside position and active" rubbish and lets make players get themselves off the pitch if they dont want to be active.

As for all the diving occuring, it's about time Fifa introduced serious punishment to prevent it, just like they did with Hooliganism and Racism. It's disgusting when players themselves are cheating to get cards and free kicks and they should be banned from the sport if they can't grow up. Sportsmanship/Gamesmanship is already a rule, but it needs to be stricter to deal with the ^%^$^ cheats.

Thierry Henry was elbowed in the CHEST and yet he went down clutching his FACE... and he feels this is acceptable? How is this acceptable!

Straight Red Cards for all players who ATTEMPT to con the referee by diving, by acting, by doing a Ronaldinho last tournament or Henry this or an "italian"...

Yellow cards for ALL players who suggest another player deserves a card. If they make the gesture, the referee MUST produce a card back to them. Even substitutes can be booked, so if an assistant hears or sees them doing such they should be booked too.

For a period of 3 months this will create hell, but by christmas... players will have learned the rules ;)

Answer 8

Rule: If there is any doubt about whether or not it is offside, or whether or not a foul has been made when 2 or more players are duelling for the ball, advance should ALWAYS be given to the party that is attacking.

Can I squeeze in another new rule?
Draw a line halfway the goalline and the middle-line on both sides of the field parallel to these lines. Offside can only be made between this line and the goalline.

I think both rules make football more attractive and the second rule speeds the game up.

Furtherhmore I think that additional time to be played should be monitored by someone on the sideline, not by the referee.

Answer 9

This might be heresy, but there are some aspects of American sport that would really improve football.
Add a stoppable time clock. It would stop ridiculous time-wasting, and the even more ridiculous yellow cards for time-wasting in this world cup.
Add more referees onto the pitch (all having equal power, including the linesmen), at least one, but two more would be better. Baseball - 4 umpires (6 during the playoffs). Gridiron - 6 referees. Basketball - 3 referees. Football - 1 40+ year old guy covering a pitch that's about 120X80 yards, plus 2 linesmen who cannot run onto the pitch.

Answer 10

First off I would approve goal line technology. Not an extra official watching the line, but an actual sensor that reads when the ball completely crosses the goal line. If this was the case, Manchester United would have already clinched the EPL because Chelsea would have lost to Tottenham the previous week. Second, I would have an extra on field official to watch play off the ball. There are so many fouls missed because the referee watches the ball and the play involved with it, but off the ball there are needless challenges and fouls. Third, I would have a less strict conduct policy. Players get excited on the field after a goal and curse words are said, shirts are taken off but its all in passion of the game. Last but not least, I would add instant replay. It would be used for handballs, fouls in the penalty area, rough challenges that are red card worthy and diving. Also if a player is card for a foul, and replay is used but is found that said player dint commit a foul and that the opposing player dived a yellow would be given to the diver.

Answer 11

A lot has been said about booking players tell a ref to give a card to one of their opponents by doing a showing a card mime. I think the only way to discourage players from doing this and therfore reducing its occurence would be to do as follows. If a player gestures as described above, far from booking him, the ref should issue no cards whatsoever, regardless of whether he inended to or not for the initial foul. If a player knows that any attempt to obviously indicate to a ref that he should issue a card would guarentee that no card will be shown. Very few players would do it.

Furthermore, I would only allow captains to talk to the ref and vice versa - the same as rugby. (in the case of a goalkeeper being captain then a nominated outfield player may take over this privelage). In cases when the ref decides a warning, booking oe sending-off is required the ref can, of course talk to the player in question even if he is not the captain but the player's captain should be party to the conversation. As far as possible though the ref should limit instructions to other players through the captains. I think in the long run this would reduce bookings and dessent as well as eliminate the ugly trend of rushing officials to try and sway a decision.