The Referee

The Scotish FA have annoucned plans to attack the cheats and divers that are plaguing the game.   From this Saturday when the season starts.  Any televised game will be reviewed by the match referee within 72 hours.   He can then issue any cautions to players who may have cheated. 

 This will initially start as a pilot and it will be seen how well it works.   I think this is a positive step in the right direction and as its the Referee making the call still I dont think it damages credibility to much.  The question is though what happens when it was found to be one that resulted in a goal, or a 2nd caution.  Will it cause a legal case?   

HOW THE NEW SFA SCHEME WILL WORK

• The Scottish Football Association is to target players who cheat in football in a bid to improve the image of the game in the coming season.

• The SFA will use video evidence to clamp down on players who dive or feign injury, and issue retrospective yellow cards to the perpetrators.

• Match referees will review footage of every televised game, and identify incidents where clear cases of blatant simulation occurred and where the player concerned went unpunished.

• If an act of simulation is identified by the referee, the SFA would add three penalty points to the record of each player reported. If a player is also cautioned in the match for a separate offence, the player would be regarded as having been sent off and would incur an automatic one-match suspension.

• The referee could also retract yellow cards if a player has been booked during a match for simulation only for the video footage to reveal a mistake had been made.

• The new policy is being introduced as a pilot scheme from the start of the 2007-08 league season – which begins on Saturday – until 1 January. No actual bookings will be issued during the trial period.

• The policy will be fully implemented from 1 January.