Neale Barry, the FA's head of referees believes that the introduction of sin-bins into the sport is a definite possibility. Speaking to Sky Sports on 'Sky Sports for Support The Ref week, (don't worry, I didn't get the memo either), he said that sin-bins could work in football but would have to be implemented into the sport gradually:
I think it is almost certainly something that could work, and almost certainly something that we will, as a football association, introduce in the future. Last year we had 32 leagues experimenting the sin-bin phase, and it's been positive. We're extending the number of leagues in the experiment next year, and then looking to extend it again in 2019/20.
The discussion we're having is how far up the leagues do you go with the sin-bins. It's been a very, very positive start, and people understand that it can work, we just need to make sure we bring it in slowly. Undoubtedly, though, it will be rolled out across grassroots football in the coming years.
Sin-bins are already being trialled in local park leagues in England and Barry revealed that there has been a 38% reduction in dissent in the 32 leagues experimenting with the rule. Barry explained that the peer pressure that comes with the rule will help reduce dissent overall in the sport:
If I'm in the sin-bin having had a go at the referee, and I'm in there for 10 minutes, then my team-mates are not very happy with that. So I think it does reduce the dissent.
Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher thinks that the development is a good idea, though hard to police, especially at lower levels:
I give somebody a 10-minute sin bin, then give another player a 10-minute sin-bin, you have no fourth officials at those levels, so they're policing themselves.
