Two "new panels which are being set up to advise on law changes in football" will consider sin-bins, according to THE COURIER. The "sin-bin system is being trialled in the Dutch amateur leagues this season" and both FIFA President Sepp Blatter and UEFA President Michel Platini have suggested that "time penalties for players should be looked at." It is expected that sin-bins "will be considered" when the new advisory panels to the Int'l Football Association Board are set up in March. Welsh FA CEO Jonathan Ford, who sits on the IFAB, said that he expected "sin-bins -- where a player has to sit out for five or 10 minutes -- would be discussed by the new panels along with the so-called 'triple punishment' when a player is sent off after conceding a penalty, and the offside laws" (THE COURIER, 1/13). REUTERS' Brian Homewood reported the IFAB will "still maintain its cautious attitude to change, emphasising that the beauty of the sport lies in the simplicity of the rules." Ford said, "It will become a little bit more proactive rather than reactive and will have the opportunity to test and pilot different programmes. Historically we have not been very successful in doing that, now we all see a different phase where we will be able to go forth and experiment and see whether they work... and make our decisions" (REUTERS, 1/13).
