Suspension for 10 minutes, almost revolutionary rule in football

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The IFAB is considering changing the laws of the game and introducing a 10-minute suspension for footballers who protest violently in front of referees.

According to foreign media , IFAB also wants to introduce a rule that also exists in rugby, where the team captain is the only one who can talk to the referee about some decisions made on the field.

The quoted source writes that the IFAB has been trialling the 10-minute suspension rule since 2019 at youth level, which has proved successful, with footballers protesting dropping by 38%.

IFAB chief executive Lukas Brud says he wants the new rules to be tested in adult competitions in the future. If they prove successful, they could be applied worldwide.

"Players aren't too worried when they know they could get a yellow card if they say something inappropriate to a referee. But it would make a big difference if they knew they were going to be out for 10 % of the game. There is a lot of interest from different parties and the idea that only the captain can approach the referee in a dignified manner. Players who go to the referee aggressively simply cannot be tolerated anymore. I have seen many times players go behind the umpire and others come forward to make sure they escape. If only the captain can talk to the umpire, then he can later explain to his teammates what happened. This rule has worked well in other sports, such as rugby or basketball", said Lukas Brud for "The Times". (A2 Televizion)