Changes in Football

There have been many rule changes to football in recent years, which were intended to make the game a more flowing spectacle for supporters. In truth, what the rule changes have done is to continually stop the flow of the game and produce a succession of red cards.

In days gone by, a red card in top level football made big news. In today's game, a weekend without a red card in any top league would be far more rare! The supposed purpose of increasing the number of red cards was that it would create more space for skilled players to play in, thus improving the game. In practise, it does the opposite! Instead of having 22 players on a field, you are left with 21 players on half off a field, as the team with 10 men sit back and try to defend for their lives!

Gone are the days when players looked to take on and beat players. Diego Maradona scored one of the best goals of all time against England in 1986, when he picked the ball up in his own half, showed a great piece of skill to beat two England players and start a run down the right side. After leaving other players in his wake, he slipped a tackle on the edge of the box and was tackled again as he took his shot. It was a brilliant goal that simply wouldn't have happened today. In today's game, he would have simply gone down before reaching the half way line. At best, he would have gone down from the challenge on the edge of the box, looking for the free kick, which would be almost guaranteed. In truth, the rule changes of recent years have removed the skillful play from the game, not increased it!

As well as the fact that it doesn't have the required effect of allowing space for skilled players, reducing a team to 10 men also kills the game off as a contest, making it less exciting for the paying public!

The object of the rule changes in recent years, was to allow room for the more skilled players to play. However, the biggest skill in the game today, seems to be the ability to 'win' a free kick.

The purpose of this campaign is to try and find a way to reduce the number of free kicks and sendings off, without increasing the amount of foul play, thus giving the paying public a better game to watch, while keeping 22 men on the pitch as often as possible.

The intention is to gain as many signatures as possible on the petition, which will then be sent to FIFA, UEFA, the FA, the Football League, the League Managers Association, the Professional Footballers Association and the referees association, with a view to asking FIFA to amend its rules accordingly.
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