In this article you will
- Understand why temporary dismissals were introduced.
- Understand where temporary dismissals are used.
- Understand the process for temporary dismissals on matchday.
In March 2017 the International Football Association Board (IFAB) allowed discretion for national associations to operate a temporary dismissals system for either all cautions or selected cautions.
The FA chose to follow the selected cautions option with temporary dismissals (sin bins) brought in for dissent cautions. In the 2016/17 season 73,500 cautions were issued for dissent accounting for 25% of all cautions.
The introduction of sin bins was designed to support the RESPECT program, decrease dissent and improve match day experience and also to change behaviours on the field of play.
Where are temporary dismissals used?
Step 5 and below in the Men’s football pyramid and Tier 3 and below in the Women’s football pyramid. It is also used in all cup competitions in leagues at grassroots levels and all County cup competitions where there are no teams whose clubs play in the National League or above.
They are also used in the following FA Competitions:
- FA Vase
- FA Sunday Cup
- FA County Youth Cup
- FA Inter-League Cup
What does law tell us?
Covered under Law 12 and in the opinion of the Referee
- A player is cautioned if guilty of dissent by word or action.
Kicking the ball away could be either dissent or delaying the restart – depending on the context. Using offensive, insulting or abusive language or gestures is not dissent and should still be sanctioned with a red card.
Match Day Process
All cautions for dissent must be dealt with by the Sin Bin process. This process applies to players only and not substitutes or coaching staff.
The Referee signals by issuing a yellow card in the normal way and pointing to the touchline where the player must go. There is no defined area for a sin binned player, the preferred area for a sin binned player to go is back to their own technical area.
This sin bin offence will still be reported by the Referee using whole game system.
Period in the Sin Bin
10 minutes of all matches of 90 minutes.
8 minutes for all other matches.
The moment a player has been told they will be sent to the sin bin following their show of Dissent the player is technical in the sin bin. The time in the sin bin starts when play restarts. The Referee includes any lost time.
The Referee has the final decision on when the player can return to play and there does not need to be a stoppage in play. However, like managing a player returning to the field of play following treatment the player should only enter when the ball is away from that area.
A player in the sin bin cannot be substituted until the period has expired and not at all if all substitutes have been used.
If the period has not expired as the end of the 1st half, it continues during the 2nd half (or extra time). If it has not expired at the end of Extra time and there are kicks from the penalty mark – the player can participate.
If a sin binned player commits another yellow card offence or red card offence during the sin bin period they cannot take any further part in the game and cannot be substituted.
FAQs
Will the Referee working on their own be able to control the sin bin period?
Yes, if they follow the correct Procedure:
Referee Signals by issuing a Yellow card in the normal way and pointing to the touchline where the player must go (not a defined Sin Bin area). Whilst it is possible to have two players in the sin bin this is few and far between.
Can a Temporary Dismissed player warm up?
Yes – We want to avoid injury and the purpose of the sin bin is to remove the player from play. A player may warm up in the same place as the substitutes but competition rules should still be adhered to e.g if only 3 players can warm up at once.
What happens if the team go down to less than 7 players as a result of a sin bin?
The match will be abandoned in accordance with law 3. Statistics show this is extremely unlikely to happen.
Can the goalkeeper be sent to the sin bin?
Yes, the goalkeeper is no different to any other player, however the process to be followed is slightly different. Another player must become the goalkeeper during the sin bin period. Once the sin bin period is up the goalkeeper will enter the field as an ‘outfield’ player.
What happens if I caution a substitute for Dissent?
The substitute will be issued with a yellow card in the normal way and be reported as a normal C2 caution for dissent. The player is not ‘sin binned’.
What if a player on the field of play becomes injured?
The Referee includes any lost time. If the Referee stops their watching during any players’ 10-minute period in the sin bin, the Referee will include any lost time to the sin bin period.
It’s vital to remember a player is sin binned for 10 minutes of playing time.
Summary
Whilst temporary dismissals (sin bins) may appear to be complex at start they’re a great tool on matchday to support your match control and game management. If you've got any questions in sin bins let us know in one of the forums.