THE World Cup is safely inside the DFB's offices; the bunting and flags are being taken down across a chastened Brazil; the media guys who endured five-star luxury are on their way to more five star luxury on holiday - and - down in the basement of football, where Scotland resides, our Champions have already got their new season up and running.
Truly, football is now a year-round game, which doesn't leave much time for sorting-out some of the game's problems, which were so-evident in Brazil.
I somehow manage to bounce back and forth between Rugby Union and Association Football, always have since I was 12. Right now, I am worried about both games.
Rugby currently has a major problem - refereeing interpretations. What one referee will allow, the next will not. These interpretation variations vary from country to country and, even more so, between northern and southern hemispheres.
Then we have how rugby's wild child - the set scrum - is refereed. Aside from the lottery which is deciding which of the two front rows has taken down the scrum, there is the ridiculous situation whereby, the demand,which is in the Laws, that the ball be put down the centre of the scrum tunnel, is ignored in 99% of the scrums.
But, rugby is a stop-start game, it can stand the odd case when a referee gets a set-piece wrong. Football is a much more free-flowing, non-stop game, and when referees get things wrong, and don't clamp down on infringements, the consequences are greater than in Rugby.
Now, by common consent, the World Cup was well refereed. There were few blow-ups or contentious issues. But, FIFA and IFAB MUST get their act together and sort-out the major issues.
To me, these are: the increasing incidences of "professional" fouls - cheap trips, body-checking, the way in so many game, the ball may get past the defender, the man may get past the defender, but man and ball must NEVER get past.
This was particularly evident in the knock-out stages of the World Cup, when players such as Robben and Messi were repeatedly impeded as they ran at opponents. Play was broken-up and disjointed - this is far from what is needed in The Beautiful Game.
Also, these cheap fouls have led to greater instances of simulation or diving - players, who could possibly keep going, now go to ground whenever they feel contact. This is cheating, but, the greater cheating for me is the jersey-pulling and body-checking.
I would like to think that the SFA, as permanent members of IFAB, would take the lead in making the game more-honest. Let's have players individually held to account for these cheap "professional" fouls, as in basketball. Let's see coaches who send their teams out to pull jerseys, body-check and slow down the game penalised by team fouls being counted - so that, after a certain number of fouls, the offending team would concede, rather than a foul, a penalty. Such a law would soon sort things out.
Football could also learn a few things from rugby. In the World Cup, the referees seemed to play a lot more advantages - perhaps they should be looking at rugby advantages, whereby, play goes on, but, if the referee decides insufficient advantage accrued, play would be brought back for the free-kick.
Football could also bring in, as rugby has, post-game citings, to punish offences which went unpunished during the actual match. Then there is the case of TMOs - television match officials, to assist the referee.
Rugby still hasn't got it right, but, it is closer to getting it right than football, albeit, it is further down the road inutilising technology. Let's see football using technology more.
Rugby currently has a major problem - refereeing interpretations. What one referee will allow, the next will not. These interpretation variations vary from country to country and, even more so, between northern and southern hemispheres.
Then we have how rugby's wild child - the set scrum - is refereed. Aside from the lottery which is deciding which of the two front rows has taken down the scrum, there is the ridiculous situation whereby, the demand,which is in the Laws, that the ball be put down the centre of the scrum tunnel, is ignored in 99% of the scrums.
But, rugby is a stop-start game, it can stand the odd case when a referee gets a set-piece wrong. Football is a much more free-flowing, non-stop game, and when referees get things wrong, and don't clamp down on infringements, the consequences are greater than in Rugby.
Now, by common consent, the World Cup was well refereed. There were few blow-ups or contentious issues. But, FIFA and IFAB MUST get their act together and sort-out the major issues.
To me, these are: the increasing incidences of "professional" fouls - cheap trips, body-checking, the way in so many game, the ball may get past the defender, the man may get past the defender, but man and ball must NEVER get past.
This was particularly evident in the knock-out stages of the World Cup, when players such as Robben and Messi were repeatedly impeded as they ran at opponents. Play was broken-up and disjointed - this is far from what is needed in The Beautiful Game.
Also, these cheap fouls have led to greater instances of simulation or diving - players, who could possibly keep going, now go to ground whenever they feel contact. This is cheating, but, the greater cheating for me is the jersey-pulling and body-checking.
I would like to think that the SFA, as permanent members of IFAB, would take the lead in making the game more-honest. Let's have players individually held to account for these cheap "professional" fouls, as in basketball. Let's see coaches who send their teams out to pull jerseys, body-check and slow down the game penalised by team fouls being counted - so that, after a certain number of fouls, the offending team would concede, rather than a foul, a penalty. Such a law would soon sort things out.
Football could also learn a few things from rugby. In the World Cup, the referees seemed to play a lot more advantages - perhaps they should be looking at rugby advantages, whereby, play goes on, but, if the referee decides insufficient advantage accrued, play would be brought back for the free-kick.
Football could also bring in, as rugby has, post-game citings, to punish offences which went unpunished during the actual match. Then there is the case of TMOs - television match officials, to assist the referee.
Rugby still hasn't got it right, but, it is closer to getting it right than football, albeit, it is further down the road inutilising technology. Let's see football using technology more.
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