Football set to trial major new rule change after approval granted
Football is ready to trial sin bins as they look to increase respect for referees and officials
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The International Football Association Board have approved sin bins to be tested at the highest level.
And they have also approved proposed trails whereby only the captain of a team can approach the referee.
According to Sky Sports, the measures aim to improve participant behaviour in football.
They are also set to be trialled in order to increase respect for officials.
Football chiefs want to crack down on dissent after successful trials in grassroots football
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The proposals in question were supported at the IFAB's Annual Business Meeting, which took place in London on Tuesday.
Team captains will only be able to approach the referee 'in certain major game situations' with the experiment plan drawn up.
And sin bins for 'dissent and specific tactical offences' should be trialled at higher levels.
This comes after a 'successful implementation in grassroots football'.
The Times recently said that sin bins that last as long as 10 minutes may be implemented.
Under current rules, referees are able to brandish cards if two or more players surround them in protest.
Before last weekend's round of Premier League fixtures, it emerged 61 players had been booked for dissent.
Fulham had 11 cards to their name, with Tottenham and Newcastle closest with eight each.
West Ham and Wolves had seven players booked for the offence.
And Bournemouth and Crystal Palace had six.
Former football star Chris Sutton recently said it was the duty of managers and players to set a better example when it comes to the treatment of matchday officials.
"Across the board, football needs to take responsibility on this one," he said.
"And it starts at the top.
"It starts with Premier League players and Premier League managers showing respect to referees and officials.
"And I have got to say, in recent seasons the abuse towards officials seems to be, in my mind, getting worse. And that’s my concern.
"There is a decline in refereeing numbers across the board at grassroots level and you know where this is going to lead to eventually.
"There won’t be enough left."
Sky say other matters were discussed at the ABM meeting, too.
They discussed potential strategies to address time-wasting tactics. These are said to include 'the six-second restriction for goalkeepers, delaying restarts and managing injuries'.
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Football chiefs are looking to grant more protection to referees and officials in the future
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They also talked about continuing to develop semi-automated offside technology to speed up decisions as well.