Arsenal legend Paul Merson hits out at ‘pathetic’ new rule being considered by football bosses

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Arsenal legend Paul Merson has accused the International Football Association Board (IFAB) of ‘killing the game’ for its plan to trial a new sin bin rule at a professional level.

IFAB was founded back in 1886 and it governs the standardised laws of the game around the world. But its latest intentions to trial a 10-minute sin bin rule has enraged Merson, who has dubbed the suggestion as ‘pathetic’. The iconic Arsenal midfielder fears its effect on football.

Merson believes the proposed sin bin rule risks neutralising the fast-paced, all-action nature of divisions like the Premier League. Instead of the end-to-end action often coupled with the English top-flight, he expects sides to just park the bus until they are back up to full strength.

Arsenal icon Merson brands IFAB’s proposed sin bin rule as ‘pathetic’

IFAB considering trialling a sin bin rule has ignited Merson to issue a scathing assessment of the proposition. He predicts the 10 minutes where sides are without a player will return ‘the most boring football ever’. He also likens it to rugby union where clubs run up the scoreline.

“So, they want to bring in sin bins. Sin bins? Pathetic,” Merson has told Sky Sports. “In rugby union, you go down to 14 players, the other team’s looking at scoring seven to 10 points. It’s a massive advantage. A massive advantage.

“You put someone in the sin bin in football for 10 minutes, you’re killing the game. You’d get 10 players sitting behind the ball the whole time. It’d be the most boring football ever. It’s an absolute waste of time, a waste of time.

“Everybody loves the Premier League. You have a shot at one end and there’s a corner up the other end 30 seconds later. That just goes out the window for this 10 minutes. The team with the man down have got no choice but to sit behind the ball.

“All they’d be doing then for that 10 minutes is taking their time over taking a throw-in, they’ll take a goal kick, they’ll buy a foul and it’ll just grind out the worst 10 minutes you could imagine.”

How will IFAB’s idea for sin bins work in football?

According to Sky Sports, IFAB is considering introducing a sin bin rule to improve participant behaviour in football. It also views the idea as a way to increase the respect shown to match officials. The suggestion also gained support at IFAB’s Annual Business Meeting on Tuesday.

Football’s decision-makers also agreed to trial the sin bin rule at higher levels having already tested it in grassroots games. The sin bin rule would work in football by allowing the referee to send a player out of a match for 10 minutes over dissent and/or specific tactical offences.

The sin bin rule has been in use at the grassroots level since the 2019/20 season. It is in use up to step five of the National League system and up to the third tier of the women’s game. IFAB is now considering what changes it needs to trial a sin bin rule at the professional level.

Further discussions over the wider introduction of a sin bin rule in football will be held next March at IFAB’s Annual General Meeting in Glasgow. IFAB will vote on introducing the law at the summit following its investigation into the protocols and systems required for it to work.