Get thee to the Sin Bin

By: Bob | July 31st, 2007

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNCKn9qjbQo

Watching a montage of football players flopping, diving and feigning injury is cause for some mirth, but there are some that would like to rid the sport of such behavior and thus deprive YouTube of half of its videos. The idea of sending cheating footballers to a sin bin during a match is hardly new, but as Martha on the Italy Offside posts, the referee icon and current Serie A referees boss Pierluigi Collina is now behind the idea which means that it might actually be taken seriously which means we might actually be able to use “sin bin” more often in our active vocabulary which means our active vocabulary might become 900% cooler.

The question I have for all of you who hate the histrionics of the Beautiful Game is whether or not you are in favor of the Sin Bin concept?

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Category: Serie A, World Football

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Luis

After match video replay should be used for the most blatant dives, violent conduct, etc, but in most cases the rules are already in place for refs to manage these incidents. The real problem is an issue of refereeing standards and consistency. If all matches were consistently called to the same standard, we wouldn't have as many incidents and even fewer media controversies.
Lazy E

I'm in favor of using video review to harshly punish divers, and players who over-react to slight contact. Handing out lengthy suspensions and fines after the fact would at least reduce the problem.
Laurie

I LOVE the sin bin concept. They use it in indoor rec games, at least at our local arena, and it does serve as a deterrent for all kinds of behavior. What they're doing now isn't working. Why not try something new?
Michael

In the Australia-Oman game at the recent Asia Cup, in the first half the Oman players seemed to take inspiration from that clip. But the referee was brilliant. Any time a player acted like he was injured, he called for the medics, and he made them carry the player off the pitch regardless of what 'injury' they had.
Brilliant.
In effect this was like a sin bin, as the ref would then wait a minute or two before calling them back on, but with no judgement calls that can be ripped apart in the media the next day. If the player was injured, he got treatment. If he wasn't, he got punished.

No Oman player feigned an injury in the second half.
Sam

As pathetic as Gila's dive was, it was funnier more than anything. I still haven't figured out what he was thinking.
Todd Pounds

Refs won't give a straight red! Especially in an important game! They allways swallow there wistle in important games and moments as a result of the pressure! I'm not sure how the "penalty box" concept would work? I'd like to see a pilot in preseason or something first before even contemplating such a big change...
Karl

I don't see the need for a sin bin, the referees could just give a straight red for egregious diving as unsportsmanlike conduct, especially when diving in the penalty area.
Zabel

Any non-Milan fan is going to welcome this idea. Gilardino's dive during his Celtic game was pathetic.
Whigsboy

But only if it's the really gruesome kind!

Actually, as somebody who has only become a soccer fanatic in the last few years, I like the idea. I hate the flopping and think it's counterproductive. If players didn't flop, it would be all the more obvious when there was a real foul and the calls in the box would be far more consistent.
Peter

The sin bin is one option but I prefer public executions as a deterent.