Head UEFA Referee Collina Wants Rule To Punish Those Who Injure Opponents

UEFA "wants players who hurt an opponent to stay off the field until the injured party is ready to return," according to the AP. Head of refereeing Pierluigi Collina said on Wednesday that "it was not fair for teams to gain a temporary one-player advantage by injuring an opponent." At a season-ending briefing, Collina said, "This is something that has gone on since (forever), I would say, but it's unfair." Laws of football can be changed at annual meetings of the Int'l FA Board, "which comprises FIFA delegates and the four British football federations." UEFA President Michel Platini joined Collina "to promote their five-referee system of match officiating used in UEFA competitions to rule on goal-line decisions and penalty box incidents." Platini said that most of his 54 European member countries now use five officials -- placing an extra assistant beside each goal -- "in top-tier leagues or selected high-profile matches" (AP, 5/15).