The only thing that never changes is the fact that the change is constant. Well, at least many philosophers would say that. We can see one of the telltale signs for this in sports. While everyone should strive for perfection, football does take notes about improvement seriously.
After VAR, we are to witness yet another revolutionary change in football, and it’s the sin bin rule. How did this come to be? Did this topic appear all of a sudden? What will it be good for? Many fans still have no clue about what actually football sin bin rules are. So, I tried to grasp this concept and make it clear to you here.
What Is a Sin Bin in Football?
Anyone who wonders: what is a sin bin in football may already know the answer to this question. You have probably watched sports with this rule before. If you’ve ever seen a game of water polo, rugby, or ice hockey, you probably saw that some players had to take timeouts.
In other words, if a player misbehaves, they receive a warning and are out of the game for one, two, or more minutes. The main goal of the sin bin is to reduce the number of “dissents” in football on a professional level.
After so many incidents where referees were under pressure, and sometimes, even bullied, the highest football representatives decided to counter this phenomenon. Moreover, the officials made the football sin bin rules imply a player getting a yellow card, but also being sent away for ten minutes. In fact, the sin bin did not just come out of nowhere.
This rule, which many often call “temporary dismissals” , has been on trial since the 2019/2020 season in England. Ever since sin bin became a real thing in lower English leagues, the dissent percentage dropped by 38%.
Another thing this rule may bring is that only the captain can discuss certain decisions with the referees. This further improves the overall atmosphere on the pitch and reduces the chances of dissent.
Should We Expect the Football Sin Bin Rules in the Best Leagues Soon?
Not everyone likes this potential change. First of all, football fandom is full of hard-core admirers who automatically disregard any changes that stand out from the traditional.
This has been the case with the attempt to create a European Super League. As many of you know, the majority of fans, ex-players, and coaches criticised its foundation.
Speaking of the sin bin, some fans even think that it may make this sport a bit unrecognisable. More specifically, this mannerism may resemble Northern American sports, which are different from football. This can also have a straight effect on the game course, as some of the best players could be diverted from the game.
So, will the sin bin show up in the most elite leagues, such as the Premier League, Bundesliga, La Liga, or Serie A? No one really knows yet. But what I know now is that this rule will not be put into practice very soon nor that it will appear without some more trials.
