IFAB Laws Revisions: The DOGSO Rule is not so Draconian

[DLew On Roids]

The International Football Association Board has released a new set of laws for the game worldwide. You can get a rundown of some of the key points here, but it misses the elimination of automatic triple punishment (red card, penalty, suspension) for a denial of an obvious goal-scoring opportunity. The new law:

Where a player commits an offence within his own penalty area which denies an opponent an obvious goal scoring opportunity and the referee awards a penalty kick, the offending player should be cautioned [with a yellow card] unless:

- The offence is holding, pulling or pushing OR

- The offending player does not attempt to play the ball OR there is no possibility to play the ball OR

- The offence is one which is punishable by a red card wherever it occurs on the field of play (e.g. SFP, VC).

In all the above circumstances the player should be dismissed [with a red card] from the field of play.

It seems like the new rule continues the triple punishment for tactical take-downs (pulling, no possibility to play the ball) while allowing a player to try a desperation tackle without worrying whether he'll get triple punishment. I especially like the first of the three caveats because it doesn't require the referee to judge intent--all he has to do is determine the attacker was held back. Hopefully, that will keep the heavy punishment for cynical tactics while letting off players who are trying to make a play.

I also really like this quote from David Elleray, who headed the rules committee:

We are encouraging referees to referee according to the spirit of the game and to use common sense. ... If you can play the game and there's a minor breach of the law, report it to the authorities and sort it out afterwards. Don't be too black and white in minor areas.

Translation: This isn't American football, where we turn every play into the goddamn Zapruder film. The referee has the power to make the game flow.

 

[Jed Zeppelin]

Translation: This isn't American football, where we turn every play into the goddamn Zapruder film. The referee has the power to make the game flow.

I forget where I've heard the argument exactly but I know it's been said that this is the sort of thing that should/will make football more amenable to an American audience that is growing increasingly frustrated with micro-officiating, the death of game flow (in all sports, really), and game length. Not that the sport is entirely immune to some of those things but you know what i mean.