FA Cup: The FA is considering introducing ten-minute suspensions for players

The FA Cup from the coming season it is very likely to appear with a significant difference in the way referees deal with footballers.

According to “Times”, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association Council is expected to approve the introduction of a rule, which will allow referees to expel the footballers for ten minutes.

This rule is inspired by polo and aims to give a temporary numerical disadvantage to the team that breaks a rule. The penalty will punish players either for protesting, or for fouls aimed at stopping opponents’ counter-attacks.

The idea appears to have been tried in lower divisions and amateur leagues in England and Wales, however at the highest level things are different. The program has not been officially approved, but the information indicates that in the near future the IFAB will approve the presence of the rule in the men’s and women’s FA Cup, from next season.

The CEO of the Football Association, Mark Bullinghamhad referred to this specific change in November 2023. He had typically stated:“It is clear that the protocol must be developed. We talked about many areas, especially tactical fouls. I believe fans watching matches are disappointed to see a promising counter-attack break down and the question of whether a yellow card is enough has led us to consider whether this should be included in the protocol.».

Edited by: Loizos Lainidis