The game is absolutely fucked when the most influential player on the pitch in most games is now the referee. If IFAB had any balls they’d introduce some bold changes.
- Remove any subjectivity from handball. If it hits your hand, it’s handball. However:
- Handballs in the box are indirect free kicks unless the ball is going on target (for which we’ll use Hawkeye because it’s fucking 2023 for fuck’s sake). No team should be given an almost certain goal just because the ball bounces off a defender’s fucking arm accidentally.
- Remove any subjectivity from offside. If a player is offside when the ball is played, stop play and restart with an indirect free kick. These arseholes cannot be trusted to apply ‘subjective’ offsides in a consistent way, so just delete the concept. Being in an offside position is now an offence.
- Bin VAR. Just bin it. If you remove all of the variables of split-second on-pitch perception from a subjective decision then all you’re left with is subjectivity. VAR introduces more scope for bias, not less. Keep semi-automated offside checks and goal-line technology but remove the fucking brain trust who sit in a room with access to 10,000 frames any of which can confirm the decision they want to make anyway.
Well we’re talking about penalties and that was 40 yards from goal with no one in the penalty box. Cracking example other than that though.