The Hindu : Sport / Football : Blatter supports changes to booking system

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jul 06, 2006

Sport

Sport - Football

Blatter supports changes to booking system

Berlin : FIFA president Sepp Blatter supports a new booking system that would allow players to receive three yellow cards in a round at the World Cup before they're suspended for a match.

With record numbers of red and yellow cards handed out at this World Cup, Blatter said on Tuesday it was a "very wise suggestion" to amend the existing rules that impose a one-match suspension on players who pick up two cautions across the first round or two in the knockout stage.

Two cautions in a match earns an automatic ejection and a one-match ban. Two cautions across three matches in the first round, or two in the whole knockout round, result in a one-match suspension.

"In some leagues, the suspension comes after three, four or five cautions - in the World Cup, we should go further," Blatter said. "In the future there should perhaps be three yellow cards in a round before a suspension, and this is something we will take up.

"This would avoid players in the semifinals on one yellow card who, by bad luck, may get a second and cannot play in the final."

That happened to Germany midfielder Michael Ballack at the 2002 World Cup.

A tournament record 27 red cards and 331 yellows had been issued after 60 of the 64 matches at Germany 2006.

Referees have come under heavy criticism for issuing yellow cards early in matches to impose authority and then having no choice but to book players again for incidents that would not be as heavily punished in national league competitions. — AP

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Sport