A few weeks ago a player said to me after I had blown up because he had pulled an opponent back by his shirt, "Why can't you let the game flow ref?". He didn't seem to think that he should have been penalised for shirt-pulling.
At one time shirt-pulling was barely known in this country - it was thought to be a sly continental tactic. Sadly it has increased greatly in recent years and it seems that many people now regard it almost as a 'non-foul'. Take for example the fan who gave his verdict in the Post on the Royals' game at Wycombe last week. He said, of the free kick that gave the Wanderers their goal, "Caskey did pull at him, but it was hardly anything".
But of course shirt-pulling is something. Shirt-pulling is 'holding' under the laws of the game and 'holding' is one of the ten penal offences. It is penalised by a direct free kick or a penalty if committed by a defender in the penalty area.
I am amazed when watching football on television by the amount of holding that goes on: players seem to do it as a matter of course. My amazement is only matched by the surprise the players show when they are penalised. What do they expect? Do they really think that it is 'hardly anything' and the referee should ignore it and 'let the game flow'?
If so they could be in for a nasty surprise. Last week the International Football Association Board, the body that sets the laws of football, met in Edinburgh for their annual meeting. One of the subjects on the agenda was not just shirt-pulling but the whole tendancy these days of players to use hands and arms on each other. At penalty kicks we see all sorts of grappling going on, players of both attacking and defending sides using hands and arms to contain opponents.
This has been raised I understand by the Football Association of Wales.
Whether the Welsh have more of a problem than most I don't know, but they seem pretty incensed about it. They have apparently demanded a change in the laws. They want any player who deliberately holds an opponent or pulls his shirt to be deemed guilty of unsporting behaviour. This would mean of course a caution and a yellow card. Their feeling seems to be that, if players only have a free kick to fear, the grappling will intensify and lead to retaliation.
Personally I would hope that we don't have another mandatory caution imposed on us as referees. Already in the laws there is the ability to caution or send off a player for holding in certain circumstances. If you recall Patrick Vieira's first sending-off this year. The player who kept pulling at him got a mouthful of Vieira's arm for his trouble. He also got a yellow card. Royals' fans will, I'm sure, remember Andy Bernal being sent off a couple of years ago for holding an opponent inside the goal area and preventing him getting to the ball for a certain goal.
George Cumming, ex Scottish FA and now FIFA's Head of Refereeing, seems to be of the same mind. He doubted before the meeting that the punishment for shirt-pulling and holding would be increased. 'The most practical approach is prevention', he said. In other words he felt that giving the direct free kick for holding, generally speaking, avoids all the flailing of arms and retaliation that can follow.
However, he went on to say that the problem has now been highlighted and it will be dealt with in the referee development programme for the coming year. It's a clear warning to players; 'Keep your hands to yourself'
Dick Sawdon Smith