The moral indignation that greeted the proposed blue card was both surprising and baffling. Of course it’s all about opinions and we must always respect the views of others. But too few have stopped to consider the real difference it could make.
The International Football Association Board (IFAB) is an archaic organisation responsible for the rules of the game. I would be the first one to admit their ideas are sometimes devoid of logic and reason. Endless fiddling with the handball rule is infuriating and ignores the maxim that should be their motto ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’.
The nightmare that is VAR continues to haunt us and damages the game on so many levels. IFAB proposes that a player gets a blue card if he shows dissent to the referee or commits a professional foul. The player then enters a ‘sin bin’ for 10 minutes similar to Rugby Union.
The impact of a player leaving the field for 10 minutes is immeasurable. A winning position could be lost and a tactical plan ruined as a team could easily be down to nine men in a matter of minutes. Once a player re-enters the game he must avoid a second blue card which will result in dismissal.
Dissent is one of the biggest issues facing the modern game. Under the blue card system players will no longer be able to remonstrate with referees or question their decisions. They will no longer have carte blanche to intimidate and abuse referees. VAR exacerbates the situation as more pressure is heaped upon officials.
When a player goes down in the area a fiasco ensues. The referee is surrounded by players from both sides. The benches are jumping around as the fourth official struggles to keep them apart. A toxic atmosphere incites the fans and buries any semblance of order; all because players find it too easy to undermine the officials.
The blue card will stamp out all such behaviour. Dissent covers language, gestures and mannerisms. So players will have to exercise discipline and self-control. Referees will regain control and make more reliable decisions. Applying the blue card to professional fouls is more problematic. It’s difficult to judge when such a foul is committed.
Dissent is blatantly obvious but fouls can look much worse than they actually are, particularly if a tackled player overreacts. In any event a yellow card would do the job where professional fouls are concerned. However, simulation is a much stronger candidate and should be added to the list of blue card offences.
The practice of players throwing themselves to the ground would disappear overnight. Diving is rife and designed to get players sent off or earn undeserved penalties. I thought VAR would cure the problem but has only made it worse. The blue card would clearly address the issue and leave no room for argument.
Players will then be coached to stay on their feet as nothing can be gained from going down too easily. The once beautiful game is now ugly and cynical. A sense of anarchy pervades as it sinks to the level of a cheap pantomime.
Players are egged on by increasingly duplicitous managers and coaches. Jurgen Klopp demanded Liverpool’s Premier League fixture with Spurs be replayed because VAR wrongly ruled out a goal scored by Luis Diaz. How such absurdity can pass the lips of a man with his intelligence is mystifying. Liverpool’s recent game against Nottingham Forest ended in chaos when an error by referee Paul Tierney led to the winning goal scored by Darwin Nunez.
Tierney was surrounded by angry Forest officials as coach Steven Reid was given the red card. It was an unedifying spectacle made worse by Virgil van Dijk who saw fit to stir an already boiling pot. This time Klopp wasn’t raging about an incorrect decision that led to Liverpool’s last gasp winner – how curious?
The melee continued as Forest chairman Evangelos Marinakis confronted Tierney in the tunnel afterwards. It’s no surprise Forest have appointed Mark Clattenburg as “referee analyst”. There can only be one reason for such an appointment; to put more pressure on referees to make decisions that benefit Forest over their opponents.
It’s time Klopp and his cronies woke up and realised that mistakes are part of the game. To ritually twist the knife when things don’t go their way is like throwing their toys out of the pram. This nonsense has to stop once and for all. If used under strict conditions the blue card will bring about a positive change.
And we may start to recognise the game we once knew. A game that was exciting, unpredictable and packed with drama. In practice the blue card will rarely need to be used because the consequences are obvious. It’s time to reclaim the beautiful game and blue is definitely the colour.
Be the first to comment