Collina backs sin bin

| Tue, 02/24/2009 - 03:18

World soccer's former super-ref Pierluigi Collina is backing the idea of soccer adopting a sin bin to let players cool off without putting sides one man down.

''It would be good for those situations where a red card is too much and a yellow not enough,'' said Collina, who became Italy's referee selector after several years at the top of world refereeing.

Collina, who ref'd the 1999 Champions League Final between Manchester United and Bayern Munich and the 2002 World Cup Final between Brazil and Germany, said the new orange sin-bin card would be discussed on Saturday by FIFA's rules body, the International Football International Association Board (IFAB).

The orange card has been officially proposed by the Northern Ireland Football Association, he said.

The sin bin is already used in many sports and was introduced most recently in rugby.

Collina also said IFAB would examine UEFA President Michel Platini's proposal of using a 'double ref' to have an extra pair of eyes for tricky decisions, especially in the penalty area.

He noted that Platini was ''very keen'' on the idea and said the Italian Soccer Federation had agreed to try it out.

''I think this is a great opportunity for Italian soccer,'' Collina said, adding that recent controversial handball decisions such as Adriano's goal in the Milan derby would have been made easier by a double ref.

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