UEFA President Michel Platini has "called for football to emulate rugby by implementing a sin-bin system for yellow-card offences," according to Graeme Yorke of the London DAILY MAIL. Players who accumulate a number of cautions -- typically five -- are handed a ban "at present," but Platini said in an interview with Spanish newspaper AS that the system only "benefits teams who were not the victims of the earlier offences." The former France int'l "believes a more instantaneous sanction is required, which would benefit the team against whom the offence has been committed" (DAILY MAIL, 12/5). In Madrid, Relaño & Maroto reported Platini said, "I would change the system of warnings, of the cards. I would make it like rugby, punishing the offender with 10 or 15 minutes out of the game. That way, the benefit goes to the team he is playing against, in the same match, instead of a sanction by cards, which is carried out against a third team, the next on the calendar. This is an idea, now it has to mature and we will see if it is really something good for the game." Platini also "weighed in on goalkeepers who commit penalties being punished with red cards." Platini: "It seems excessive. The penalty itself is already punishment enough." Additionally, Platini said that he would prefer a "golden goal" overtime system to penalty kicks, saying, "I believe that a golden goal would be better, but this did not please the majority. Some years ago, 12, all the national federations voted on this, and it did not succeed" (AS, 12/5).
BLATTER REACTS: REUTERS reported FIFA President Sepp Blatter "poured cold water on Platini's idea later on Thursday." Blatter said, "I cannot see why we should change something in match control when we have already established all the regulations" (REUTERS, 12/5).
