Could A-League benefit from being FIFA's guinea pig?

By hittingthevalve / Roar Guru

After the last couple of weeks, the last thing on many people’s minds would be trying to strengthen the link between the Australian game and FIFA. But there could be advantages from getting closer not to those who run the game’s administration, but those who responsible for running it on-field: the officials and FIFA’s law making body.

The recent debate about the introduction of goal-line technology is merely the latest development in the evolution of the game.

From the introduction of yellow and red cards, through the tinkering with the offside law, right up to the introduction of goal-line officials, football is a game that is continually moving forward (although at times it represents the tortoise rather than the hare).

The issue with the implementation of amendments to the laws of football is that they need to be trialled somewhere in order to gather evidence upon which to base the decision whether or not changes should be endorsed.

It is in this space that the A-League should step forward and offer to be the testing ground for FIFA.

How the game is officiated is an often overlooked facet, and it could be one where Australia establishes itself at the forefront of the game’s development.

The A-League is played in stadia of various sizes and shape, and the climates are sufficiently different enough for the testing to determine whether new technology and/or systems can work.

The only gaps in Australia’s repertoire of weather may be the absolute extremes of heat and cold (A-League clubs for Alice Springs and Antarctica anyone?), but for a general all-purpose testing of rule changes and technology, the A-League would be a good candidate.

Football in this country would benefit from having the leading figures from the game’s law making authority playing a role in the implementation of amendments. It would also be a fantastic way for players and officials in this country to get some time with the best in the business through FIFA’s Referees’ Committee.

Innovations for the future of the game would become part of the football experience in Australia today. Suggestions like playing the full 90 minutes or miking up the referees, as suggested by Paul Doyle in the Guardian recently, could be trialled in the local game before becoming part of the global game.

The players would not be at a disadvantage when playing teams in the Asian Champions League as such changes wouldn’t significantly change the way the game is played, only the way it is officiated.

Things may get a bit complicated if changes related to aspects of the game like the offside rule, but the players should be given enough credit to be able to handle the changes and adapt where necessary. After all, if the rugby union players managed to get through the Experimental Law Variations, the A-League clubs should be able to cope.

Some extra attention from FIFA on the local competition (not to mention the possibility of some extra funding) would also provide benefits to football in Australia.

While Blatter and FIFA are getting their house in order (or whatever it will be that Kissinger will end up doing), the way the game is played on the field will continue to grow, along with the demands on those who determine the rules and enforce them on the field.

Despite some exaggerations during the presidential debacle about how important Australia is to FIFA as a whole, one area where we could prove ourselves to be a world leader is not in the games that are played off the pitch in Zurich, but in the games that really matter – those played between the painted white lines.

The Crowd Says:

2011-06-07T08:52:26+00:00

Bondy

Guest


Fussball . I found this little gem. http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/3621908/MANCHESTER-UNITED-are-set-to-treble-Javier-Hernandezs-wages-to-75000-a-week-to-keep-Real-Madrid-at-bay.html .

2011-06-07T06:09:07+00:00

Bondy

Guest


Fussball. Coming from Sydney thats why i go there to hear football interviews, nobody really does them in Sydney much, so i had to go to SEN to hear footall interviews. Strange sporting landscape isn't it . Yes i tend to agree with the two H.A.L. clubs in Melbourne but im sure i saw the heart emblem there also last season, maybe it gets taken down and back up again for the next H.A.L. season anyway not a life or death issue i guess .

2011-06-07T05:29:54+00:00

Fussball ist unser leben

Roar Guru


Bondy Have gone off SEN in the past couple of years - I rarely tune in and never visit their website. When I do tune in, I find around 95% of SEN's broadcast time is focused on AFL and 5% on all the other sports. So, SEN is out and, at the click of a button, I'll find more appropriate high quality video and audio from football-literate broadcasters. I'm not sure about the MVFC logo. SEN were very pro-MVFC in the early days - before they bid for AFL match day broadcast rights and were told to drop MVFC. Although, with 2 HAL teams in Melbourne it's probably prudent for SEN to remain neutral. Having said all that ... isn't it terrific to see SEN's website - like The Roar - refer to only one game as "FOOTBALL"!

2011-06-07T04:54:16+00:00

Bondy

Guest


Fussball. I've just attented Sen Radio's website to check for Socceroo interviews none there , and noticed they've taken down the M.V.F.C. logo from there website are you aware of this, does it come back up for H.A.L. season seven ?. There is only now one logo on there sight guess which one.

AUTHOR

2011-06-07T03:52:45+00:00

hittingthevalve

Roar Guru


Thanks Bondy. This idea has been floating around in my head for a while so I thought it was about time to write it up and get it published.

AUTHOR

2011-06-07T00:25:11+00:00

hittingthevalve

Roar Guru


Hi Fuss, Thanks for the comment. I guess the point I was driving at was not necessarily what changes could be made to the laws of football, but rather that the A-League could be the testing ground for any such changes (which lets face it, often take years to get from idea to implementation). Just like the ELV's in rugby being tested at the lower levels of the game before being trialled in first class competitions, the A-League could offer itself up as a national competition testing ground which would hopefully also carry with it the benefits of Australian officials getting greater exposure/training/time with some of the game's rule makers. Whether we as fans agree with the changes or not, evidence will always be required before a decision is made, and I believe Australia would be a good candidate to be one of those testing grounds.

2011-06-06T14:25:21+00:00

Bondy

Guest


Hittingthevalve. Another interesting column.

2011-06-06T14:08:55+00:00

Fussball ist unser leben

Roar Guru


Here's a thought ... implement those rules and start your own sport - see if your new sport attracts more or less players than the current game of Football.

2011-06-06T13:42:58+00:00

Uncle Bob

Guest


Here are some overdue 'innovations' # Get rid of penalty shoot-outs. Replace them with extra time with a twist, removing a player from both sides every 5 minutes until you get a result. # If a penalty is awarded, it should be taken from the half way line, like in the old NASL. # Allow physical tackling to remove the diving aspect.

2011-06-06T07:16:45+00:00

Fussball ist unser leben

Roar Guru


dasilva You raise a very important issue - should we always try to reduce the mistakes made in any decision-making process? For me it's always a "cost/benefit" analysis - are the "benefits" of better decisions greater than the "costs"? In the situation where a person's liberty is being decided, for me, the answer is an unequivocal "YES" - do whatever is needed to ensure a person is never unjustly deprived of his liberty, regardless of the cost. However, in a football match my answer is "it depends". My preference is for the game to flow without interruption, so I will vote "NO" for any potential decision-making improvements that impede the flow of the Game.

2011-06-06T04:45:25+00:00

dasilva

Guest


So judge and juries make mistake. However, if people found a way to improve the error rate of court case, would you disapprove? Or does the error made in court is a reflection of society that life is unfair Seriously though, football may reflect life that is unfair. However the motivation to continually make football as fair as possible is also reflection of society that's always trying to improve themselves and become as fair as possible

2011-06-06T04:41:56+00:00

Ari Viderci

Guest


I agree with Fuss. First time ever.

2011-06-06T03:03:52+00:00

Fussball ist unser leben

Roar Guru


I have no problem with the way the Game is played and don't want to see any changes - particularly, I do NOT want any sort of video refereeing DURING the Game. Like life, people need to understand that Football - or any sport - is not perfect. Referees make mistakes and, yes, this can lead to an unjust result. In life, juries and judges in court cases make mistakes - even with access to advanced DNA identification techniques, mistakes are made! The ONLY change I would be happy for FIFA to trial is this one ... if play has to stop due to a player potentially being injured, then that player is not allowed back on the pitch for 5 minutes - if there is a genuine injury, 5 minutes would be needed to stop bleeding, tape up the injury, etc.

2011-06-06T02:18:33+00:00

The Special One

Guest


MLS used to use a "countdown clock" where the time was counted down from 90 mins to 0. Every time the ball went out the clock would stop etc. It proved very unpopular along with many other changes they made, all of which were scrapped. College Soccer in the USA still uses the countdown clock though.

AUTHOR

2011-06-06T00:04:46+00:00

hittingthevalve

Roar Guru


Thanks for the comment Mahony. I included rule changes as part of the package, but the next major changes I can see FIFA experimenting with are things like goal-line technology and the way referees communicate with each other which will hopefully improve the quality of the decisions being made. Fundamentally, I am not a fan of too many tweaks to the rules, but being a testing ground for FIFA could be an opportunity for Australia to gain a bit more prominence in the football family.

2011-06-05T23:36:36+00:00

mahony

Guest


Sorry to sound like an inflexible conservative - but maybe I don't see the problem with football that others see. I would leave it the way it is and just work on the quality of reffereeing in an ongoing way. The laws of the game and the surounding guidelines are all fine - and chance and failure are a part of life.

2011-06-05T23:28:29+00:00

whiskeymac

Guest


cheers HTV. I dont mind the premise ofgreater involvement in the game for FFA - hopefully this side of things is more removed. Interesting thatthe same idea was sprouted at the FA in England too: fears that the game was being rewritten to be non contact (and therefore removing ana lement the english were good at - physicality). It wld be good to have ears and eyes at all the little tables FIFA sets out.

AUTHOR

2011-06-05T23:16:19+00:00

hittingthevalve

Roar Guru


Morning whiskeymac. The 90 minute suggestion is the old argument that has been around for a while, that is the referee killing the clock whenever the ball is not on the pitch and moving. The link to the Paul Doyle article is below. http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2011/may/18/innovations-next-season-premier-league In the end I went with guinea pig for the title but there were other options considered, some suitable for printing, others not so much. In my mind I draw a bit of a distinction between the world cup awarding part of FIFA and the law making part of FIFA, so my suggestion could be a way to build up some exposure for the local game without selling out too much.

2011-06-05T22:17:11+00:00

whiskeymac

Guest


"playing the full 90 minutes " Does this suggestion mean playing with (i) a stop clock, (ii) playing continuously w/o a half time or (iii) w/o simulation stoppages? Don't like the headline - guinea pig? Sepp's Gere like appettites are already well catered for by enough willing gimps. With so many up there already jostling for position will we all fit into his corridors of power?

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