On return from holiday last week I was shown a letter written by a Mr John
Aloysius Houghton to the letters page of the Evening Post after the Reading-Preston match at the Madejski Stadium. He criticized the decisions of the
referee at that game but also made some interesting suggestions. He said that the
referee's decision to have the Reading penalty kick re-taken was a mistake.
It's obvious that he had not seen the Meridian TV recording shown the following
day. This showed quite clearly that the goalkeeper moved off his line before the
ball was kicked, completely justifying the referees decision to back his
assistant's judgement.
Mr Houghton's main complaint, however, was that the referee sent off the
Preston player who gave away the penalty, although he doesn't deny that it was a
sending off offence. His criticism is based on his belief that sending off players,
affects the viewing/paying public's enjoyment of the game.
If Mr Houghton had ever been a referee he would realise that without the final sanction of sending
players off, the game would degenerate into anarchy. Those of us old enough to
remember the 1966 World Cup will know that Pele, the greatest player of that
time, and some say of all time, was literally kicked out of the tournament.
The laws were more leniently applied then but at the end of the 1960s and beginning
of the 1970s we saw what was called the 'referee's get tough campaign'. Teams
with the hardest kickers rather than those with best skills were starting to
dominate. That would happen again and even worse if the sending off sanction
was removed.
Mr Houghton talks about the paying public's enjoyment of the
game but I would ask him which would he rather watch, a team trying to
emulate Pele's skills or one made up of Vinny Jones act-alikes. I
know what would be my answer.
Mr Houghton does have a remedy. Instead of sending players off, they should
be fined very heavily. 'Hit players in their pockets and they will soon mend their
ways'. He may not realise that suspension following a sending off, also includes
a fine. Players in the Premiership are paid more in a week than most of their
supporters earn in a year, so what is a very heavy fine?
His other suggestion is to introduce the so-called 'sin-bin', in other words a temporary expulsion during
the game. This is an idea that has been around for ages and a few years ago I
listened to a senior FA referee coach, make a case for a sin-bin to replace the
caution. At present if a player collects a number of cautions he receives a
suspension, which is of no benefit to the teams against whom he committed the
offences. Whereas, he said, if they were 'sin-binned' it would be much more
relevant to each particular game. I thought he was softening us up for a change
in the law but it was just a personal opinion.
The FIFA Instruction sheet sent out
to all clubs and referees at the beginning of this season, re-affirmed their
decision that temporary expulsion of players, is not permitted at any level of
football. A member of the International Board said that it is considered it would
be impracticable for it to be carried out at all levels. The desire ever since the
laws were first formed, is that they apply wherever the game is played.
Mr Houghton's plan is not to use the sin-bin for cautions but he says for
serious foul play. I wonder if he means for all sending off offences, of which
there are another six. I'm confused, for even this may spoil the enjoyment for
John Aloysius Houghton. Players would still be missing, if only for part of the
game.
Dick Sawdon Smith