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Blatter Suggests Changes to World Cup Card Suspensions

By: WC Bob | July 4th, 2006 | 28 Comments »

This World Cup will be remembered for a few things and one of them will be the record number of yellow and red cards handed out to players. Instead of examining why so many yellow cards have been issued, FIFA President Sepp Blatter suggested today that he is open to the idea of changing the rules of the World Cup with a player receiving a suspension after picking up three yellow cards in a round and not two as happens now.

“In a competition like the World Cup it should perhaps be three yellow cards in the first round and three in the second. This is a wise suggestion and we will take it up,” he said.

I always thought that a yellow card was designed to protect players from injury and to punish the most egregious violations of the rules. In fact, that has been FIFA’s response to critics of the refereeing in this World Cup.

If that is the case, it makes no sense to increase the number of yellow cards a player can accumulate before he is suspended. That would only undermine the whole point of cautions and more likely than not would only lead to a further increase in dangerous plays and yellow cards.

After watching some of the matches in this World Cup, more cards are the last thing the sport needs.


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Displaying the most recent 25 comments from a total of 28 comments.

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Username By Lulu | July 4th, 2006 at 3:08 pm
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His name is misspelled:

Blatter = Blather!

Posted from United States United States

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Username By OGrandeTrinco | July 4th, 2006 at 3:16 pm
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I think 2 yellow is fine rule, what they should do for WC is have video review for both appeal and assignment of yellows. There is no way that a human referee can catch all the cheating. And the WC is large enough event where this infrastructure is merited.

ie. There have been some yellows this tournament which have been clearly erroneous. Those would be repealed after the match.

ie. There have been many incidents of which merited yellows/red but were not assesed. Why not assess the penalty after the game. The players will know they will have to fool all the camera’s and not just the ref, this would curtail diving attempts and attempts to make injuries seem worse.

The current system handcuffs FIFA if the ref makes a decision and does nothing to punish those who were clearly caught cheating but were shrewd enough to avoid the ref’s eyes.

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Username By Luis Nunes | July 4th, 2006 at 3:19 pm
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Mr. Blatter is thinking backwards.
It should be one yellow one game off.Good players should be protected of criminals like the
Holland one that hit Ronaldo to kill him.
Unsportmanship like the Holland
player did, running with ball when everyone in the World watching the game, expected the the ball to be given back to Portugal, is not accepted. Worse when the player follow instructions by his coach. Coaches like him should be banned from football.
Did he recommended to his players to kill Ronaldo?
To avoid this situations, regulations should be made.

Posted from United States United States

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Username By OGrandeTrinco | July 4th, 2006 at 3:20 pm
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In addition, which would be a larger step for FIFA, but perhaps they should consider down the road, would be 2 unsuccessfull coaches challenges in each round, if the challenge is correct the team maintains the option to challenge, The 4th and fifth official on side could review the tv footage for a minute or two and done.

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Username By Zantheman | July 4th, 2006 at 3:28 pm
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@ OgrandeTrinco

I agree , Refs (Human beings) will make mistakes that may or may not alter the results of games. That’s why we can argue and complain about their calls or lack of calls.

I think video replay should be introduced during the game not after(only for incidents that were missed). It should be used only in important situations and not be misused. Some calls such as goals, fouls in the box, offside play that leads to a goal and vicious tackles should be reviewed automatically.

However, I think we should follow the NFL’s lead and allow teams 1 or 2 challenges per half( I hope this doesn’t slow the game down too much) . The clincher, is that if a team challenges a play and is wrong ( they should be penalised and lose a player for 5 -10 mins or the game) This would ensure that teams be very careful in choosing their challenges.

Regarding, goals I thought FIFA was suppose to use a new ball with a microchip or magnet that would indicate a goal when it crossed the line. They tested it pre-tournament but decided not to use it. France would have benefited from a goal they scored agianst korea that was missed.

In short, changes are due but will they ever happen? Maybe even an offside line between centre and the penalty area would help with the missed offsides??

Posted from Canada Canada

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Username By Arthur | July 4th, 2006 at 3:34 pm
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why not suspend them after the 2nd and the 5th yellow card

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Username By mohan | July 4th, 2006 at 3:42 pm
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Why not award half a goal or a penalty on the second yellow?

Posted from India India

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Username By Azam Khan | July 4th, 2006 at 3:52 pm
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I’m against the rule of allowance of three yellow card. Instead of this if a player gets a yellow card, this card should be due to him/her in that match and in the very next match if that player does not see the yellow card gain. Then that yellow card shown to him/her in the previous match should be null void. In this case a player which has been shown yellow card in a match will get the opportunity to prove himsel/herself more law abiding . Resultantly his/her card will be void.
What You think??

Posted from Germany Germany

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Username By Dan | July 4th, 2006 at 3:59 pm
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Uh, why is the President of FIFA an idiot? 3 yellow after the first round basically means yellows will not count in the 1st round, as you only play 3 games, and if you get more than 3 yellows, you’ve gotten a RED….

Posted from United States United States

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Username By RP | July 4th, 2006 at 4:36 pm
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The big problem is players cheating. So for cards for violent play/professional fouls the rules should stay the same. But for all the other yellow card stuff (mis-timed tackles, dissent, time-wasting etc.) two offences should be a sin bin – 10 minutes say. This could be carried over to stop players getting away with it late in games, meaning they put their chances of getting selected even as a sub put in danger for any subsequent matches.

Posted from United Kingdom United Kingdom

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Username By Marcus | July 4th, 2006 at 4:50 pm
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FIFA should get rid of the carding system altogether. If a player commits a foul, he or she gets and wears a bright neon-colored velcro patch on the leg. Three such foul patches should result in a penalty kick. Sometimes in the heat of the game, players forget that thet’ve been carded. If the patch is attached, however, to your body it would remind you to play fair. A brutal, flagrant foul anywhere on the field should automatically result in a penalty kick. Expelling a player or players from a game, and introducing machines to make a call, radically changes the complexion and dynamics of the beautiful game.

Posted from United States United States

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Username By Claudio | July 4th, 2006 at 5:48 pm
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Instead of thinking of modified the card’s rule. FIFA should be thinking of find a way to immediatelly correct gross referee errors.

Posted from United States United States

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Username By Dave Hamilton | July 4th, 2006 at 5:58 pm
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Isn’t this guy up for re-election next year? I sincerely hope he loses and gets completely out of the football world. I sat patiently through so many of his bad decisions, and even supported him, but when the guy can’t eevn get me a ticket to the final, that is the D*MNED last straw!!!!

Posted from Germany Germany

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Username By VICTOR | July 4th, 2006 at 6:06 pm
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To cover more space on the field, there should be at least 2 referees instead of just one.
This way the play will be closely watched. Instant replay is fine but it will strech the game for too long.
A flagrant foul will be yellow carded and the player sent out of the game for 10 minutes.

Posted from United States United States

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Username By Joe | July 4th, 2006 at 6:40 pm
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The officiating needs changes, but Blatter and FIFA always seem to take steps backward and not forward. Examine other professional sports and try incorporating the lessons learned from them. Example, video replay, penalty boxes. There has to be something the officials can do to keep the game fair and clean, 3 yellow cards is not the answer.

Posted from Canada Canada

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Username By Constantine | July 4th, 2006 at 7:11 pm
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Please, all of you who are trying to change this beautiful game to a copycat of an American football or ice hockey…lay off. Human error IS part of the game and ALWAYS has been. One referee is enough and with the aid of his(her) assistants decisions about events during the course of the match will be taken (or not) accordingly.If you want to slow down the game to a baseball game pace then go ahead and bring in one more ref.(why not 3 or4)for each one to sit down and discuss over a potential replay if there was REALLY an offside on the play or if 10 mins are up for the penalised cautioned player to re-enter or… should Mr.Blatter be watching the game and how much did he pay for his ticket!!
Enjoy the WC now because 4 years from now are not around the corner.

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Username By diego | July 4th, 2006 at 7:24 pm
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Some of you guys need to differentiate “reasonable and feasible changes” versus a “radical and irrational” rule overhaul.
Whatever needs to be done to the rules, needs to be done keeping with the spirit and flow of the game.

1. The offside rule will not/cannot be eliminated. It will never happen! It would lead to players standing by the opposition’s goalkeeper the whole game. And that would mean defenders having to stay back with them the whole time. Ughh!
A “reasonable change” would be to make an attacking player onside as long as some part of his body – at least a toe – is in line with the last defender. That would make the linesman’s job much easier – he would have to see daylight between players before raising his flag – and avoid 99% of controversial offside calls.

2. Giving the coaches/referees the option to make instant replay challenges during the game would bog things down horribly and would forever change the game for the worse. I can just see it being used as another tool for waisting time during a close match. Plus the end result would take away any little authority and control the referee has over the players actions on the field, leading in turn to more chaos.
If you want to review anything, it should be maybe yellow and red cards – perhaps add blatant dives to this – and it should be done AFTER the game, before suspensions are doled out.

Players sent out for 5-10 minutes??? Instant replay time-outs??? 2 coach challenges per half??? an offside line between the center and the goal??? C’mon people!!!
How about lines every 10 yards, give the players pads and helmets and let them use their hands to carry the ball??? or how about making the pitch ice instead of grass, and give the players some skates???

Posted from United States United States

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Username By diego | July 4th, 2006 at 7:28 pm
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Thank you Constantine. Thats all i was trying to say. :)

Posted from United States United States

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Username By diego | July 4th, 2006 at 7:32 pm
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While we are at it, lets add some silicone enhanced cheerleaders dancing on the sidelines and a giant jumbotron in the middle of the field to tell fans when to “make some noise”!!!
***PUKE***

Posted from United States United States

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Username By Zantheman | July 5th, 2006 at 3:09 am
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Diego, you make some good points but other sports evolve and make changes for the betterment of the game. An offside line would make the game more interesting and leave less calls up to refs running up and down the sidelines.

Regarding instant replays. It was just an idea to make sure the right team wins. Isn’t that what sports is all about?? Maybe we shouldn’t jump into replays immediately for every single call , but if it makes the game better and ensures the right call is made, or the right team wins, what is the problem with that.

I guess you should never complain about any call ever made for your team or anyone elses team because your happy with the way thing are right now. If a bad call goes against your team you should not come on this blog and whine and complain about bad calls.

Fifa was suppose to use a ball with a microchip in it to ensure the ball crossed the line before it was called a goal. France could have used that ball and they would have gotten a goal that was clearly in but missed by the ref. I guess that would be taboo to let an electronic device give a team a goal they deserve.

I guess what I am trying to say is that FIFA should not revolutionize the game and make it like football. I never said that. They should look at other sports and see what could possibly work well in soccer. I guess you are against video replay in the NFL also? It has to be done in a proper way so no team abuses the replays.

Posted from Canada Canada

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Username By diego | July 5th, 2006 at 4:46 am
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@Zantheman

I think you got me all wrong. Of course I believe that the whole idea is for the right team to win. I am not opposed to changes to the rules and the evolution of football, and I know that while human error will always be a part of the game, there are serious problems that need to be addressed – dives, delaying tactics, rough tackles, etc – All I am against is haphazardly throwing ideas that will end up killing the spirit of the game we all know and love and transform it into something else.

I am all for the use of technology as soon as they can figure out a reliable way to apply it – ie. microchips in the ball, etc. Heck, they could even use GPS locators for determining offsides for all I care. And I see the value in video reviews for punishing divers, bad tackles, erasing unfair cards, or doling out suspensions after the game.

The reason I am afraid of instant replays during the game, is that I think they will require time-outs while the review is made, and that will mean keeping time on a central clock that can be stopped anytime there is a stoppage in play. Once that is set, there will be nothing to stop 30-second “commercial” time outs. I don’t know about you, but that is not an evolution I want to see in “our” football.

Posted from United States United States

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Username By Chris | July 5th, 2006 at 5:26 am
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For once, I think Blatter is right. Under the current system, a player can be booked for a rash challenge in one game and then a frivolous, subjective offence, such as time-wasting, and miss the third group stage match. This is precisely what happened to Zidane, France’s star player, during this World Cup.

If the Refs are going to continue to officiate in the manner of this World Cup, where many soft yellows have been given out in situations where free kicks or no action would have been more appropriate, then it will be necessary to increase the the number of cards before suspension.

The alternative to this would be to instruct the Refs to show more restraint when giving out yellows, as the Ref in today’s semi did. If that method of calling a game was the norm, the two yellow suspension rule would not be a problem as few players would amass soft cards. As it stands now, however, the spectators are being needlessly deprived of seeing quality players in action because they have either accumulated two yellows, as in the case of Zidane, or the fear that they might pick-up another yellow that would hold them out of a more important match, which was why Holland left out Robben against Argentina. That match had such potential, but ended in a nil-nil draw.

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Username By John Parkyn | July 8th, 2006 at 5:29 am
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You really have to wonder about Sepp Blatter’s sanity. On the one hand he calls for fair play and demands that referees enforece the rules. On the other hand he condemns, even banishes, referees that enforce the rules. Now he wants to introduce a 3-yellow card system that will permit (encourage) more fouling, bullying, and deceit/diving.

Posted from Canada Canada

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Username By Mawuli Dogbo | July 10th, 2006 at 8:35 pm
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Not good for three yellow cards. Let’s keep the two and rather make it more difficult i.e one. Then players and referees as well would be careful during playing and officiating.

Posted from United States United States

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Username By Andreas | July 11th, 2006 at 8:15 am
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Why should we now soften a rule that has been working for so long? We all have it memorized and everyone knows what the rule is. I see no reason to add another yellow card. FIFA is wrong….Throw enough money at any official or organization, they will change…………….

Posted from United States United States

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