The sin-bins rule is not something you would associate with soccer, but with the way dissents are being handled in the current game, it may not be far-fetched to see it introduced to the highest level of the game. The Premier League is already handing out punishments to players who unnecessarily charge down at referees, as we’ve seen for most of this season.
The IFAB, the game’s rule-making body, announced recently that it was looking into having the sin-bin rule trialed at higher levels, having introduced it to the grassroots leagues a few years ago. What is the sin-bins rule, and what is the possibility of seeing it at the Premier League level?
What is the sin-bins rule?
A sin bin is generally a penalty box where players are temporarily sent for committing an offence that is not worth a total expulsion. The idea of a sin bin is also used across several other walks of life, like school, prison, and sports like rugby, hockey, and most recently, soccer.
Dissent has taken over soccer for some seasons now, especially since the introduction of the Video Assistant Referee. Players tend to make an attempt to influence a referee’s decision by charging down at them, making it hard for the referee to make a clear decision.
This is now seen as an offense of abusing referees, and the best way the IFAB sees this going down is by introducing the sin-bins rule. The rule has been tested at the grassroots level, with lower leagues using it to temporarily suspend any player who tries to abuse the referee for 10 minutes while also getting the usual yellow card.
31 grassroots leagues have taken part in this new sin-bins rule, and according to The Guardian, the rule has brought about a 38% reduction in dissent.
Is the sin-bins rule going to be implemented in football matches?
The IFAB announced yesterday that the sin-bins rule would be used at “higher levels” of soccer after the success of the tests at the grassroots level. With instances of dissent in the English leagues almost doubling up to 347 from 165 at this stage last year, it’s almost inevitable that we’ll see the sin-bins rule implemented at some point, although it’s unsure whether it’ll be used in the Premier League.
English football has made its own move to reduce dissent since the start of this season, with culprits immediately getting yellow cards for dissent. Howard Webb, the chief refereeing officer, admitted last summer that players and coaches had not behaved well enough, leading to the wild guess that the sin-bins rule would be brought to the Premier League later in the future.
Mikel Arteta was recently charged for his comments in the aftermath of the 1-0 loss to Newcastle some weeks ago. This came on the back of an official statement released by Arsenal FC in support of their manager.
Do you like the idea of the sin-bins rule?
