What changes would you make to soccer?

[Abou Sky]

Was talking about this with a friend today. I think that a couple of basic changes could really improve the game.

1. Refs should ALWAYS use the paint for free kicks, too many people inch up after they line up and it is just annoying.

2. Posthumous yellow cards & fines for diving, have review panels set up for all falls/dives/fouls whether called or not, you could allow for a certain number of appeals but double fines (or something) if you don't win the appeal

3. Goal line technology, this is just a no brainer

4. Add a second ref/assistant ON the field.

5. Only allow captains to speak to the refs, I may get mad at refs at times, but they need to feel safe at all times to do their job as well as possible.

Other ideas?

[Pint]

The only thing i can think of that may make an impact is adding an additional sub for games that are in extra time... basically Cup and Playoff games

[Kaz]

hover shoes...

zip lines.

Paint Ball Gauntlet

Naked female refs.

[prizby]

1. I rather the referee just pay attention to the inching up and start handing out yellow cards more frequently...would end the inching up a lot more quickly, but all the referee's would have to be consistent on this measure

2. I don't believe in yellows...I believe a stricter policy of first time offender = 1 game suspension; second time offender = 2 game suspension; and escalating would eradicate most diving very quickly

3. Have to get the cost of this down...then yes, it is a no brainer

4. Disagree-every referee has a different opinion on what exactly is a foul, what exactly is card worthy, etc...having a 2nd 'referee' would be unfair to the players if 1 referee was letting stuff go, but the other wasn't

5. Agreed, wish they'd start giving out yellows for anyone else speaking to the ref...question - what do you do to goalies who have the arm band-designate an outfield player?

[kodiakTFC]

The booking of players for simulation WAAAAAAY more.

[LFC8]

Everything.

[Cashcleaner]

I think most people will agree that the wide majority of rules as they are now are good, but not applied or enforced consistently - just like what Prizby mentioned about Sky's first point. When the ref points to a spot on the pitch for players to park themselves, it's not open to debate or interpretation. Diving and time wasting are also against the rules of the game - but in practice they just aren't enforced nearly as much as they should be. They should be, and I would support some sort of post-game review as Sky suggested for those and other more serious violations.

To be honest, there's really only one fundamental change I would make to the game, and that would be penalty kicks. Right now, in most pro leagues the chances of a goal off a penalty kick is typically around a 70% success rate. The fact is that the development of modern shooting techniques and equipment (ie: footwear) favours the penalty taker far too much when the range to target is a mere 12 yards. I would much rather have the penalty kick be taken anywhere outside the 18-yard box by the choosing of the penalty taker. This levels the field somewhat by giving the goalkeeper a little more reaction time, but also creates more shooting options for the penalty taker. It makes penalty kicks more dependent on skill, preparation, and creativity; and less on dumb luck and power.

What makes soccer such a great sport to watch, at least in my eyes, is the fact that it's so straight-forward and relatively easy to understand. It's a game that you can teach kids over the course of a few days and yet will take players years to fully master. Thankfully, not a lot really needs to be changed or improved upon.

[Ossington Mental Youth]

hover shoes...

zip lines.

Paint Ball Gauntlet

Naked female refs.

Holy shit, i was going to say the same thing (just about, was going to add something about muscular ladies and dudes in tight american flag gear shooting nerf arrows at people from distances)

[brad]

I'd also like to see them cut down players crowding out the ref. Start handing out cards to everyone that does that and it stops in a hurry.

I also think that anytime a player is fined it should be in proportion to their wage. Fining a player making 100k/week 5k for something is not going to do anything.

[Fort York Redcoat]

[Leedsoronto]

Eye tests for linesmen and refs

Video ref.

5-6 subs

With the addition of the new clubs, why not start a MLS Championship league then introduce relegation and promotion.

[TorontoGooner]

With the exception of punishing divers (which I agree needs to be stricter), I would not change a single thing. The one thing that separates football from any other sports is the amount of controversy surrounding officials' decisions. It leads to the pent up frustration and in turn passion that you see. Honestly, there's nothing better to get a crowd going then them thinking they have suffered injustice. Even when it goes against you, it riles you up to the point that all you want to do is win.

In other sports everything has to be clear cut, in black and white. Its the grey areas in football that I love.

Plus I've always thought that video refs would just hold the game up.

[Leedsoronto]

Goal line cams in the UK are a good addition to the game IMO. Maybe extend that to a serious foul or penalty claim. It would stop diving I think if each time the faker got a yellow.

[JonO]

Not really changed as much as properly enforced... I hate the time wasting. If a player goes down injured, get them off the field ASAP at the closest point. Very rarely is treatment on the pitch actually necessary. Also, player not so subtly kicking/throwing the ball away after a free kick has been awarded. Drives me nuts...

With regard to diving/simulation - I like the idea of post game review and fines. Also, publish a list of offenders for all (including refs) for all to see

[nlsanand]

a) Just a yellow for last man foul when it results in a PK. The triple punishment of PK, red, and suspension for those fouls seems too intense to me. Doesn't apply when preventing a certain goal (handball on line, open net pull down). For goalies, the red only applies when it's intentional, not just a swipe a mistimed play on ball.

b) Real time 30 minute halves. The incentive to slow game down is so much because the full amount is never added back. This is not debatable; we've all seen it. There's a reason people do it. The only legit way to slow game down is to keep ball in the corner.

c) Determine a new version of 6 second rule that gets enforced on regular basis and consistently. Make it ten and require ref to count last 3 seconds so keeper knows.

d) Call grabbing on corners (both ways)

e) Consider ways to introduce direct kicks in the box where a PK is too big a penalty, but that leads to fouls not getting called. (I admit I don't know how to implement this right now).

f) No live rebounds on PKs. So unfair to keeper.

g) Get rid of weird rule where it's 2 players for offside, just say one defender. Refs always screw up this rule.

h) No offside where pass eminated in the opponents' box, and player was not in six yard box. Also, can't be offside when receiving pass in your own half. (No come back offside in this instance).

i) Offsides should apply on goal kicks.

j) 5 points for a win, 2 for a draw. 3 points for a win actually perverts things a little bit in my view, and rewards teams who are streaky.

k) Away goals rule is arbitrary, get rid of it. Use Mexican style tiebreaker for 2 leg matches where warranted.

l) Golden goal. Nuff said.

m) Experimental: Consider thing where u take one player off from each side after 120 minutes.

n) Less yellows for for dissent. Refs give this too much as a power trip.

o) Better clarity on unnatural position such that it's codified in the rules. Too many people say "ball to hand" when defender obviously created handball by making himself bigger.

p) Required: A beer and a shot at halftime with the orange slices.

Anything else?

[Nerepis]

A foul in the box is a penalty, so why not a dive in the box is a penalty against the divers team. Right now there is no real incentive not to dive, a possible yellow card vs. an almost sure goal. Until there is a real consequence, the diving will stay.

[Abou Sky]

Nlsanand, can you elaborate on B?

[Nerepis]

^ I think he is saying 30 min. halves and the clock stops during dead balls and such.

[glaze]

To fix the diving/ "injury" problem, I'd put in a simple fix. If the player goes off the field, he can't return for 5 minutes.
That move alone would abolish the fallacy of the stretcher.
The magic spray would probably still remain a fixture.

[nlsanand]

^ I think he is saying 30 min. halves and the clock stops during dead balls and such.

Exactly (I'm only guessing at 30 minutes is the right number). But the concept is you can't slow the game down simply by slowing down restarts.

[ensco]

Get rid of offsides rule. Really. It's not that big a deal. Would spread the game out. Have linesman focus on foul calls and diving.

Need to fix soccer's crime and punishment problem, which would fix diving. The rewards for the victims for most fouls and hand balls in the box are disproportionate - most should result in indirect free kick, unless scoring chance is taken away.

Replace throw in with kick in. Would create a lot more scoring chances.

[nlsanand]

Get rid of offsides rule. Really. It's not that big a deal. Would spread the game out. Have linesman focus on foul calls and diving.

Need to fix soccer's crime and punishment problem, which would fix diving. The rewards for the victims for most fouls and hand balls in the box are disproportionate - most should result in indirect free kick, unless scoring chance is taken away.

Replace throw in with kick in. Would create a lot more scoring chances.

No offsides would lead to more goal poaching and forcing defenders to stay at home (much more deep). When you play at the park with no linesmen, people just don't run back on defence then think they're Luis Suarez when they get a counterattack goal.

[pdogg]

I think the 60 minutes is bang-on from what I've seen in games - the dead ball time is extremely frustrating, both when we're winning and losing.

A quick google search came up with a few interesting articles on ball-in-play time for the EPL and other leagues. The articles themselves are good, but here's the relevant data


Soccer by the Numbers - How Much Football Is There In A Match?


Ball (not) in play - Effective Time in football

Effective time varied between 44 and 66 minutes in the 2010-11 season, centered about a mean effective playing time of 55 minutes 6 seconds

As an aside, I would like to see more enforcement of another timewasting measure, and that is the schoolyard tactic of kicking the ball away on dead plays (ie. after a foul) or walking away with the ball. Grown men, not children.

[ensco]

No offsides would lead to more goal poaching and forcing defenders to stay at home (much more deep). When you play at the park with no linesmen, people just don't run back on defence then think they're Luis Suarez when they get a counterattack goal.

Fine by me. It would open the game up, and reward speed/endurance/athleticism on the pitch.

[pdogg]

The rewards for the victims for most fouls and hand balls in the box are disproportionate - most should result in indirect free kick, unless scoring chance is taken away.

Handballs should be treated according to intent, as the ref sees it. Waving your hand around like an idiot, act like a goalkeeper or trying to knock down the ball - penalty kick and whatever card discipline is warranted. The ball hitting your hand because that's where your arms are when you turned or whatever, indirect free kick somewhere outside the box - corner kick maybe?

On a secondary note, how does Caldwell not have more handballs? He has his arms outstretched like he's trying to take off every time he goes after the ballholder.

[Carts]

I like the idea if you go to ground, and the play is stopped, you're off the field for a minimum time...

This way, the odd knock, knee clap, toe step - guys would be forced to get up and get on with it. Sure they're limping, and fighting it off so you're vulnerable - but if the official stops play, your side is down to 10-men for a few mins...

If this was in place, the amount of time play is stopped for guys rolling around on the ground would all but stop...

Down you go, the ref is glancing over, play goes on, you give him a wave and suck it up and get up...

[brad]

An interesting view on any notion of handing out stiffer bans/supsensions or cards...

http://www.thesecretfootballer.com/a...-league-brand/

Anyway, moving on, last week I met up with a prospective candidate who is interested in becoming our “Secret Referee”. This is a guy who has refereed all the greats and, to be honest, he had me hanging on his every anecdote. But it was his throwaway story about Scudamore that had me intrigued and not just because I’d already chosen to include him in this column.
The ref told me that during a Premier League meeting of top referees, Scudamore had finished off by saying: “And, remember, you’re not in a sport, you are part of the entertainment business. We don’t want our top players being sent off every week because it’s bad for the brand. We want them on the pitch as much as possible.”
Read more at http://www.thesecretfootballer.com/a...7FsfZ37vSUR.99

[Oblio2]

The option of 1-2 challenges per game for a video replay under certain conditions. if you are successful, you get the decision but if you are not and the call stands...you lose the chance to make a subsitution and its removed. Doing that would stop willy nilly challenges.

I would remove the "rebound" for penalty kicks. I dont think its fair.

I would remove the "seeding" for competitions. Pull names from a hat. if Brazil, Italy, Holland and Germany get pulled. So be it.
Same with things like the FA Cup. Big teams enter in the 3rd round. I would eliminate that. All in together from the start. You dont want to play your stars...fine. You face the consequences if you lose.

Remove the stupid rule of having to go off, if you are injured to then walk straight back on.

I would like the Rugby rule. If there is a decision, say a free kick and you surround, swarm, abuse the ref...or just dont back off...ref can move it up 10 yards...and so on.

[james]

To stop diving:

first off, ref calls remain until end of game. After every game fouls and calls by the ref are under review for up to 24 hours. Any players caught in the review for diving are fined a certain amount of money for first time offenders. 2nd time offenders are fined higher amount of money and suspended for 2 games. 3rd Time offenders are fined even higher amounts of money and suspended for 5 games, and so on like that.

[eustacchio]

I would let players use their hands.