Every World Cup seems to bring a major problem or two to light, that FIFA decides to put an address. Post the [serious] proposals you have for FIFA to change for the future.

I would say this Cup has brought to light:

1) Lack of tolerance for physical play-

IMO, the refs have made far too many week foul calls and unwarranted cards for fouls (or in some cases non-fouls). This has also led to more dives (not-the glorious dives in the penalty box of a few years ago, but more dives to get foul calls around the field when players are in a bad spot). The pendulum has swung too far in this direction since FIFA attempted to reign in rough/dirty play. The refs must allow legal, physical contact. Soccer is not a non-contact sport.

2) Embellishment/Fake Injuries

The theatrics of faked injuries have gotten way out of hand. Two things need to be done to address this. First, obvious faking/embellishment of injury warrants a card. As long as the officials are trained to not go overboard (in case of actual injuries, this would be a welcome change. Otherwise I can see standard "sportsmanship" of playing a ball out of bounds for an injury as becoming less prevalant.

One other change needs to be made, that could seriously curb faking of injuries: if a player is down for long, they must come off the field. After leaving the field, they should not be allowed to sub in until a substitution situation, unlike now when they can return at any point with the ref's attention. Playing down a man, even for a couple of minutes, could seriously deter fake injuries. I think entering the game without a substitution is a bad rule for another reason, it can catch the defense off guard and provide an unfair advantage, providing another benefit to this rule change.


What else have you got?

6/22/2006 1:27:04 PM

what else have you got?

because people have been bitching about these things since the beginning of soccer

6/22/2006 1:29:46 PM

^^ Going along with #2, if you have to be taken off the field, you can't come back on for some minimum amount of time, say 10 minutes. If you're really hurt, you probably need that time to get taped up, stretch out, jog around, whatever. If you're faking, you're just screwing over your team

[Edited on June 22, 2006 at 1:31 PM. Reason : slow]

6/22/2006 1:31:36 PM

the last point in 2) would be good. i hate the fact that you can act like you broke your leg, go off the field, get sprayed by a can of air or whatever that is, then come back on as if nothing happened during the middle of play.

maybe FIFA needs to get harsh after games, maybe suspend players who obviously fake injuries and such

6/22/2006 1:32:12 PM

^^^Yes, but the pendulum swings on these issues, rules change, rule emphasis changes. I proposed specific measures to affect the game.

Do you honestly think there has been as quick a whistle in every World Cup in the past, or that the level of embellishment has always been what it was in the second half of the Ghana game?

[Edited on June 22, 2006 at 1:34 PM. Reason : .]

6/22/2006 1:33:41 PM

Soccer sucks.

I can't believe I wasted 10 years playing that stupid game.

6/22/2006 1:34:31 PM

Get rid of the offsides rule - that would make the game much more exciting. Obviously that'll never happen...

6/22/2006 1:39:39 PM

that would ruin the game.. how would that help?

6/22/2006 1:42:24 PM

fuck it, I'm just gonna buy the world cup game

THEN WE'LL SEE SOME REAL SOCCER

6/22/2006 1:48:04 PM

I am BLOWN away by the fact that a "made-up" amount of time is added at the end of each half. I hate that it is so subjective.
Stop the clock for these "time eaters" (injuries, etc.)

I can't quite explain how stupid that is.

6/22/2006 11:30:06 PM

its never more than three or four minutes

which makes absolute perfect sense

6/22/2006 11:31:12 PM

NO it doesn't because there is no way that they know the exact time that was wasted.

In that extra 3-4 mins goals are scored, yellow cards can be issued, in essence the game can be altered, all in response to a "make believe" time.

6/22/2006 11:32:49 PM

Quote :

""make believe" time"

you know they call it stoppage time for a reason

what about the goals that weren't scored during substitutions, injuries, corner kicks, etc.

6/22/2006 11:34:31 PM

I think the time should be kept.

Hence me saying they should STOP the clock.
What is so hard about that?

Then you have ACCURATE time, what a concept

6/22/2006 11:35:27 PM

Quote :

"I am BLOWN away by the fact that a "made-up" amount of time is added at the end of each half. I hate that it is so subjective. "

its better when it is subjective, it lets the game flow better when you're not worried about 3.... 2... 1 ...eehhhhhh. instead you just play until you hear the final whistle.
the point is to play and have fun, not worry too much about seconds. also if a team is getting beat badly the ref may just end is a little early and no one will complain.
thats what makes soccer great to play


remember we're talking about a game here, its supposed to be fun, so a good game may run a little longer, a bad one may end a little early

[Edited on June 22, 2006 at 11:40 PM. Reason : .]

6/22/2006 11:38:52 PM

the clock wouldn't be an issue (not that it really is) if they can teach the officials to make better calls on dives

6/22/2006 11:39:10 PM

i agree with the original post, they have to let the players play alot more physical,
but the point is to let offensive players get a good chance to score which makes games more exciting

6/22/2006 11:41:44 PM

if you come off of the field because of an injury, i think you should have to sit out for the remainder of the half. that would seriously curb fake injuries and dives. maybe this is "swinging the pendulum back too far" but something needs to be done for those injuries that are obviously made up to get a card or a good penalty. at the very least, a set amount of time should be warrented before a player is allowed back on the pitch, so that the fear of playing a man down for set amount of time will not be worth the risk of drawing a penalty. Because the fake and embellished injuries that happen whenever a team has a lead they don't want to lose, the spirit of fair play always gets compromised in order to gain an unfair advantage. there were a few times today when a ghanian player seemed to hurt himself right when team USA had the ball (and the US played the ball out of bounds to get that player off the field). This is an unfair advantage for an embellished injury, and it happens all the time, and soon we will see teams not play a ball out of bounds, which also goes against the spirit of the game.

i also agree that physical play should be allowed, as it is a part of the game. as long as elbows are not being thrown or slide tackles are made at the ball with the studs of the cleats not exposed, these tackles should be considered legal.

as for whoever thinks stoppage time is stupid, there's a history behind it. during the initial conception of the game, the ref was the only one who kept the time. there were no officials or score keepers. the ref kept the score, the time, and the list of players with yellow cards. the number one goal of any referee is to not let anything impede the flow of the game. so, when a penalty is called, the referee is essentially stopping the time on his own watch. When modern tv and time keepers began showing the game, they never knew exactly when the ref had his wrist watch stopped, so the clock you see on the screen continues to tick away regardless of the "stoppages of play determined by the official." so the time added on is not arbitrary at all, it's just that the tv announcers and score/timekeepers are not informed by the referee when he has added time to his watch because of injuries/excessive celebrations/or unsportsmanlike delays of the game.

the MLS tried to "americanize" the game by having an official time keeper and having the clock count down like most american sports with stoppage of time being kept and an absolute zero signaling the end of the game, along with a few other rule changes (like the retarded penalty shoot out thing they experimented with). What ended up happening was that the FLOW of the game ultimately was compromised with these tweaks, and they went to the more traditional rules.


[Edited on June 23, 2006 at 12:15 AM. Reason : ]

6/23/2006 12:08:45 AM

Three words: GOAL. LINE. TECHNOLOGY.

For France. For Roy Carroll. For the good of the game.

Anyone who's bitching about stoppage time doesn't understand the nature of the game. It's been fine for a hundred years, and it's fine now.

6/23/2006 12:45:37 AM

bttt

needed after yesterday and today's games

6/26/2006 3:51:03 PM

http://football.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,1767320,00.html?gusrc=rss

Quote :

""How to make football beautiful again With cheating and negativity rampant, football urgently needs video evidence, bigger goals and sin bins, argues Sean Ingle ""

6/26/2006 4:12:33 PM

instant fucking replay

6/26/2006 4:22:42 PM

Quote :

"I am BLOWN away by the fact that a "made-up" amount of time is added at the end of each half. I hate that it is so subjective. Stop the clock for these "time eaters" (injuries, etc.) I can't quite explain how stupid that is."

actually, it is quite subjective. There are specific additions of time for specific events. Substitutions are 30 seconds, goals are some other specific amount of time less than 1 minute, etc. The 4th referee keeps track of the various events that occur and adds time accordingly. The ref on the field can end the game at any point, but it is generally around the time the 4th ref suggests.

6/27/2006 2:25:55 AM

they need some players who arent flopping pussies

6/27/2006 10:20:18 AM

I think they need more refs. I think this would help with the other issues, because 1 ref cannot see everything. If there were more refs, flops & stupid penalties would decline, as the refs could see things from more angles.

6/27/2006 10:36:01 AM

The only thing I could think of along those lines are a combination goal judge/end line official. There's not much room for referees to be running around with so many people on the field already, plus the ref in the center of play and the linesmen watching the play from the outside. An end line official could be positioned on the opposite side of the goal from that side's linesman to see a bit more of the play, as well as make accurate goal line judgments no matter where the linesman was in long ball situations (once more I point to Roy Carroll).

6/27/2006 12:31:21 PM

Quote :

"actually, it is quite subjective. There are specific additions of time for specific events. Substitutions are 30 seconds, goals are some other specific amount of time less than 1 minute, etc. The 4th referee keeps track of the various events that occur and adds time accordingly. The ref on the field can end the game at any point, but it is generally around the time the 4th ref suggests."

What would be so difficult of having an official timekeeper and using signals like in the NFL where he calls for a clock stoppage and then signals to restart the clock? Everyone would always know exactly what is being done with time.

I also think the offiseds rule has to be changed. It seems ridiculous that the position of a defender dictates a legal play or not... if you get burned, you get burned. Its like saying a Wide Receiver can not be deeper than the safety or DB when a pass is thrown: retarded. They could get rid of it completely, draw a line like hockey has to designate the offensive zone and require the ball to enter before the player, or have an arc (almost like a 3 point line).

I don't see why they can't do more substitutions too. Either do it like basketball at stoppages or even better would be like hockey and do it on the fly.

Judging by how much the best players in the world miss it seems that a larger goal wouldn't hurt either.

6/27/2006 12:45:16 PM

I love the offside law. Since they changed it to allow passive offside, it's perfect. It rewards speed, but only in combination with alertness and intelligence.

More substitutions would make fitness, completeness of play, injury resistance, and strategy less a part of the game. Substitutions weren't allowed at all until 1965, when one sub was allowed and only if a player was too injured to continue. Very few European players wear the #12 shirt since it was designated for "the sub" for so long.

6/27/2006 1:02:38 PM

something, not sure what, but something needs to be done about the penalty/substitution situation

ie if team A has 4 players get red cards and team B has no players get red cards, the game goes 11 on 7

in basketball you can substitute a player if one of your guys fouls out or is ejected for something horrible that he did

6/27/2006 1:39:45 PM

Why do people insist on trying to make soccer like other sports? Basketball is basketball. Rampant substitutions are part of the game. Soccer is soccer and that's not how it works. The reason you don't do shit that gets you red carded is because it hurts your team. There are seven (and sometimes more) subs on the bench. If you could bring someone in when a guy gets sent off, there'd be no reason not to start your #23 and have him stab the other team's star in the calf with his spikes in the 3rd minute.

6/27/2006 1:51:19 PM

Quote :

"If you could bring someone in when a guy gets sent off, there'd be no reason not to start your #23 and have him stab the other team's star in the calf with his spikes in the 3rd minute."

You know first hand that it works in hockey... yes, people can do stuff like that but there are consequences for it. Besides, if Kevyn Adams can play with a broken hand and Aaron Ward with a concussion then there is no reason a soccer player can't play with some cleat cuts.

Its not wanting to make soccer more like another sport... its wanting to make soccer a sport worth watching 95% of the time. We aren't talking crazy changes here. The minor changes in hockey had a significant impact on its excitement without changing the spirit of the game... why can't soccer do the same? I know the substitution changes would be pretty radical but a logical offsides rule and time keeping method is not asking much. I mean could you imagine hockey if you were offsides just by being behind the last D-man? Offsides should not bail you out from being unaware or getting burned.

6/27/2006 3:58:38 PM

The current offsides rule is actually preferable because it creates a more free-flowing, attacking style of play. In case anyone didn't know, the midfield line can never be offsides. What would creating an arbitrary line at, say the penalty box do? It would allow cherry-picking, forcing teams to hang back. This would allow less space behind the defense (for breakaways, through balls, perfectly timed runs), while allowing teams to push forward on the attack. While some of you may be upset about nixed scoring "opportunities", on the whole the offsides rule in fact allows teams to push forward.

I hardly see how making the game about positioning, timing, and speed is to simply protect people from getting "burned". An arbitrary line would protect people from getting burned far more from soccer's offside rule.

6/27/2006 4:34:22 PM

Quote :

"NO it doesn't because there is no way that they know the exact time that was wasted."

and how the fuck would you know that. i referreed for a couple of years, and you set a different clock for when there is an excessive amount of time wasted due to anything that could happen. they know exactly how much time was wasted. god damn some of these people bitching have no fucking clue what theyre talking about, although that is normal for this section.


another retarded comment with no basis

Quote :

"I think they need more refs. I think this would help with the other issues, because 1 ref cannot see everything. If there were more refs, flops & stupid penalties would decline, as the refs could see things from more angles."

there are 3 referees, one center and two linesman. these three guys see everything. one linesman on one half of the field, and the other on the other half. if the linesman sees a foul, he waves his flag above him and the center ref will come discuss the foul with him, and make the call accordingly. the linesman call offsides, and see down the lines for OB or goals. the center ref is taught to run in a pattern diagonally across the field as the ball moves that lets him see a shitload, and if he cannot see something, he turns to his linesman. again, alot of you guys who are bitching have no idea what youre bitching about.

Quote :

"Get rid of the offsides rule - that would make the game much more exciting. Obviously that'll never happen..."

how about you get the fuck out of here. this isnt the nba, or the nfl, or the god damned wwe. its a rule for a very important reason, and wait, you know what. im just not going to waste my time on this shit.

[Edited on June 27, 2006 at 5:21 PM. Reason : .]

6/27/2006 5:08:38 PM

Quote :

"If you could bring someone in when a guy gets sent off, there'd be no reason not to start your #23 and have him stab the other team's star in the calf with his spikes in the 3rd minute"

alright...how bout this...90 minutes (+ stoppage) in a soccer game right

games starts off 11 players versus 11 players

how bout if a player gets a red card, you go one man down for like 10 or 15 minutes and then bring in a sub?

6/27/2006 5:30:04 PM

because soccer has the potential to be out of control violent. keeping it a man down lessens the amount of retaliation fouls.

[Edited on June 27, 2006 at 5:35 PM. Reason : .]

6/27/2006 5:33:55 PM

smaller field

6/27/2006 5:37:04 PM

why?

6/27/2006 5:37:56 PM

field is too big

6/27/2006 5:38:43 PM

fair enough

6/27/2006 5:39:11 PM

i agree with both of the original points, though I'd be lying if I said I wouldnt fake an injury to get my team some time to rest.

People suggesting things like a smaller field and more scoring must be complete ADHD babies.

6/27/2006 5:40:26 PM

smaller fields increase the amount of boomball that is played, instead of seeing quality soccer, you see a bunch of fuckers making straight runs trying to catch a break off of a long ball. it gets old as shit.

6/27/2006 5:41:21 PM

Quote :

"instead of seeing quality soccer"

haha

6/27/2006 5:42:17 PM

^ in your case it would make it shittier than it already is.

6/27/2006 5:43:49 PM

i need goals and players i can relate to

6/27/2006 5:45:07 PM

Quote :

"players i can relate to"

people who hate soccer don't play soccer

6/27/2006 5:46:14 PM

easy solution.

dont watch. it wont go away w/o you.

its your fault that you dont have any players to care about.

6/27/2006 5:46:35 PM

see in the goals sense, i am the opposite. in lacrosse they score 15 goals a game, so its really not that exciting to me when somebody scores. in soccer you bust your ass and build constantly, and when you finally get one, it makes it much more worthwile (my personal opinion)

6/27/2006 5:47:26 PM

Quote :

"because soccer has the potential to be out of control violent"

MAYBE THAT IN ITSELF IS A PROBLEM

6/27/2006 5:49:14 PM

any sport has potential to be out of control violent if you don't properly regulate players

which the rules of FIFA seem to be doing

6/27/2006 5:50:25 PM

i was referring to the reasoning for keeping it a man down the entire game (after a red card), and the player cannot participate in the next. fifa is fucking gay, their restrictions suck, their ranking system sucks, its all fucked up. when i saw a 50/50 shoulder tackle get blown for a foul i turned the game off and decided not to watch the world cup anymore.

[Edited on June 27, 2006 at 5:54 PM. Reason : .]

6/27/2006 5:53:01 PM