By The International Football Association Board (IFAB), the body which sets the laws of football, have suggested the introduction of sin-bins in the professional game.
The rule of sin bins is not new in sports but its introduction in professional football will lead to significant changes in the way the sport is played.
What is a sin bin?
Sin bins is another name for temporary dismissals in football. If players show excessive dissent in front of referees, they can be sent off the field temporarily, which is typically 10 minutes.
Why were sin bins introduced?
Sin bins are introduced to improve the aspect of respect and fair play in football. According to the English Football Association, sin bins aim to “improve the match day experience” and support the “respect programme”.
For what football offences can a player be sent to the sin bin?
Footballers showing dissent – by word or by action – can be sent to the sin bin. The decision of sending players to sin bins would be a subjective one and referees will take a call on the offences individually.
Have sin bins been used in other sports?
The sin bin is an existing concept in ice hockey, rugby, basketball and roller derby. It was introduced to rugby union in 2001, where there has also long been a rule which means only the captain can approach the referee, and there is rarely any issue with players surrounding referees.
Have sin bins been used in football before?
In the 2016/17 season, there were over 73,000 cautions for dissent – making up around 25% of all cautions. With this in mind, the English FA decided to pilot sin bins across all types of the game at Step 5 and below of the National League System and Tier 3 and below of the Women’s game in a bid to reduce levels of dissent.
In total, 31 leagues have used the system over the past two seasons.
During this period, a 38% reduction was seen in dissent across the selected leagues. It also showed a reduction in dismissals for receiving a second caution in a game and abusive language. A survey carried out to obtain feedback from around 1,400 users showed that:
- 72% of players wanted to continue with sin bins
- 77% of managers/coaches wanted to continue with sin bins
- 84% of referees wanted to continue with sin bins
The pilot has shown that participant behaviour/match day experience has improved. It also showed players self-policing the game to prevent their colleagues from getting into trouble.
When will the law for sin bins be incorporated into professional football?
The proposals will be considered at IFAB’s AGM in March and any changes approved will be incorporated into the Laws of the Game from July 1 2024.
