What would you change about the rules of football?

[gordondaviesmoustache]

Every time a player scored, before the consequent kick-off, the commentator is contractually required to say or sing “Wayne Rooney is a fat, granny-shagging ****”.

That would definitely make the game more entertaining.

 

[FogBlueInSanFran]

I seem to recall there was an idea floating about a few years ago suggesting a 5 minute sin bin thing for verbally abusing the officials.

I do think the captains should be the only ones allowed to speak to officials, as in hockey.

 

[FogBlueInSanFran]

Yeah. My thought is that it would reduce the amount of turtling that some of these teams do and take a little more risk.

That’s part of the game to me. Ten in the box is a way to play, so I’m okay with that though I don’t enjoy watching it per se.

 

[johnnytapia]

What about middle-aged men with massive tits?

Or are they all now getting served at the bar?

They can be paraded around the mini Etihad at the women’s games.
Again, equality at its finest.

 

[johnnytapia]

Rather than half time, could it be the 88th minute to try and keep some of the crowd in?

Might need to be from 89th minute as they’re on double minimum wage and we need to meet FFP.

 

[CΛL]

Referee can once a season play a purple card in place of a red card, which means you have to sub off the player for a randomly allocated fan via a seat number draw.

 

[BrianW]

Something really radical - all teams to be required to accept the same rules, home and away. No more caving into crowds at places like Anfield.

Second, all refs to be miked up as in rugby.

Third, neutral timekeeper.

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

Third, neutral timekeeper.

Howard Webb need not apply.

 

[johnnytapia]

Referee can once a season play a purple card in place of a red card, which means you have to sub off the player for a randomly allocated fan via a seat number draw.

If he played the card in the 85th minute we’d be fucked..

 

[PatK]

Red cannot be used as a shirt colour

 

[supercity88]

Something to stamp out time wasting. Either stopping the time to make it pointless or forcing any player who complains of cramp or another injury in the final 10mins (plus stoppage time) to go off the field for a minimum of 1 minute.

 

[Marvin.]

The 2 biggest issues for me are:

1) The handball. Penalties for unintentional handballs can be a lottery especially in the CL. We are penalising instinctive reactions which have little to do with football at the moment.

2) Corners. The bar has been raised so far now that wrestling, blocking, pushing the goalkeeper has been turned into an art form. Arsenal have pioneered this and now everyone is following. I hate this development but it's also really difficult to deal with. PGMOL should imo release guidance to clubs that they are going to lower the bar as to the physical contact that is acceptable.

 

[Marvin.]

I do think the captains should be the only ones allowed to speak to officials, as in hockey.

Hockey? Not a good analogy. No one plays hockey in England, in the same way that no one plays cricket in the USA

 

[PrestwichPeteMcfc]

VAR can watch max 1 replay, and it has to be full speed. If they need more than that there is no ‘clear and obvious’ error by definition

 

[jaiguruKun]

The 2 biggest issues for me are:

1) The handball. Penalties for unintentional handballs can be a lottery especially in the CL. We are penalising instinctive reactions which have little to do with football at the moment.

2) Corners. The bar has been raised so far now that wrestling, blocking, pushing the goalkeeper has been turned into an art form. Arsenal have pioneered this and now everyone is following. I hate this development but it's also really difficult to deal with. PGMOL should imo release guidance to clubs that they are going to lower the bar as to the physical contact that is acceptable.

Re handball, I've always thought that the award of a pen was disproprtionate when most of the time they're fairly innocuous and do not prevent a goalscoring opportunity. They should make it an indirect free kick for all but obviously deliberate handballs or where an obvious goal os prevented, with only 4 players from the defending team plus the keeper allowed in the box at the point the kick is taken. It would also solve the problem of soft penalties being given for contentious decisions.

 

[.db.]

Countdown clock for throw-ins, free kicks, goal kicks and corners. If a throw-in gets to 0, the opposition get a throw-in from the same spot. If a free kick gets to 0, the opposition get a free kick from the same spot. If a goal kick gets to 0, the opposition get a corner. If a corner gets to 0, the opposition get a goal kick.

Any player who moves the ball off the mark at a free kick or moves up the line at a throw-in gets a yellow card straight away with a first offence.

Any player seen to have clearly dived by VAR gets a straight red card and a three-game ban.

The game continues if a player goes down injured.

Any player who goes down injured and the game stops as it’s deemed serious enough, gets a green card, and he has to go off for a 5-minute injury assessment with a sub allowed to come on.

Any player who goes down and the game stops as it’s deemed a head injury, also gets a green card, but he has to go off for a 15-minute Head Injury Assessment with a sub allowed to come on.

Handball’s in the box are only a penalty if it stops a shot or denies a clear goalscoring opportunity. Other than that (for things like crosses that hit an arm), it’s a just free kick.

The 6-yard box is changed into a semicircle ‘D’ from post-to-post, 4 yards out at the further point, and only the goalkeeper is allowed in there at corners.

Referees and VAR are mic’d up and are able to be heard in the stadium and on tele.

The VAR process is put on the big screens in stadiums that have them so fans in the stadium actually know what’s going on.

 

[i kne albert davy]

You tried seeing a doctor at the weekend?

If you're a millionaire doesn't seem to be much of a problem :-)

 

[IOWBlue]

I'd go back to what it was 40 years ago. There is not one rule change that has made the game better.

 

[Blue Hefner]

Get rid of penalties. I will continue to bang this drum - very rarely does the punishment(a free shot at goal) fit the crime

Let’s be honest, if football was invented tomorrow, the idea that a dubious handball, 17 yards out would result in a free shot from 12 yards out would be laughed out of town

 

[FogBlueInSanFran]

Hockey? Not a good analogy. No one plays hockey in England, in the same way that no one plays cricket in the USA

I realis(z)e that, but that’s okay — it’s my analogy, not yours.

We have a professional cricket league here now, just as the UK has pro hockey, albeit at levels much diminished from the top ones.

I like your focus on handball and corners, especially the latter, where referees have let too much go on for so long we’re now at the point where there’s effectively no consistency for what’s a foul and what’s not (as per Arsenal last season).