peternorth
Moderator
- May 6, 2005
- 127,419
- 75,542
- AFL Club
- Richmond
- Moderator
- #276
This is the million dollar question. Will it be good for the game? I feel that too many changes take place in football as knee jerk reactions as a result of one incident. I doubt they'd even be discussing send offs if the Gaff incident never occurred.
And when these "knee jerk" reactions are implemented, they often lead to problems that are more far reaching than the problem they were brought in to solve.
I would think for a player to sent off, it would be for a serious incident, often resulting in a player being taken to hospital, or at very least, not able to take the field for the remainder of the match. So, is it a big enough penalty for the offending team to be down to a bench of 3, when the other team is as well?
My initial objection was if it were left to the umpires to decide if a player should be sent off. I would be more at ease if the incident was reviewed by an independent panel off the ground, subject to firm and inflexible guidelines, and then relay a message to an officiating umpire to remove the player. I would then also prefer that independent panel to be responsible for the number of games the player will serve as suspension.
I think nothing would be cruddier than a player being sent off and then being cleared by the MRP afterwards.
Well in football, at least EPL, I believe a red card = 1 match ban.
I dont know about a panel making the decision. They are removed from the feel of the game. leave it with the umpires, they are adjudicating teh game live and in real time. if we introduce panels i guess former players would like it cause it means more jobs for the boys. or girls.
in reply to bolded, yes if its 3 on bench for both teams it serves no penalty really. For mine, red card = man down for the game. No ifs or buts. The moment you start going "oh, look johnny didnt mean it, so maybe just 15 mins sin bin". No, all or nothing for mine. I know the afl like to talk about fairness and equalisation etc, but at some stage you gotta say * it.