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The concept was introduced in association football after an infamous incident in the 1980 FA Cup Final when Willie Young of Arsenal committed a deliberate foul on Paul Allen of West Ham, when Allen had a clear run at goal. As the laws of the game stood, the referee (George Courtney) could only award West Ham a free kick, which he did. This provoked a national debate on deliberate fouls that denied opponents the chance to score a goal. At the time, the English game was suffering a downturn in attendances and the chairmen of the Football League clubs decided to consider ways in which the game could be made exciting. A subcommittee was appointed to produce some suggestions, chaired by Jimmy Hill and including Matt Busby and Bobby Charlton.
The sub-committee produced several suggestions, including making the professional foul a mandatory red card offense, which they submitted to the IFAB for consideration. All the suggestions were defeated. However, the Football League was determined to have their way, and instructed its referees that professional fouls (including deliberate handball to stop a goal being scored) should be deemed serious foul play, which was and is a mandatory red card offense. The new interpretation was first issued to referees prior to the 1982-83 season, and the first player (probably) to be sent off for a professional foul was Lawrie Sanchez in the Football League Trophy.
FIFA first instructed its referees to send off for a professional foul prior to the 1990 World Cup, and in 1991 the provision that a professional foul should be considered serious foul play was incorporated into the Laws as a Decision of the IFAB. The professional foul was made a red card offence in its own right in 1998.
Subsequently, the wording of Law 12 was changed and the term professional foul was replaced by denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity to remove the implication that in order for a red card to be issued, such a foul had to be deliberate. Currently, if a player denies a player an obvious goalscoring opportunity by foul means, whether deliberate or not, he is almost certain to be sent off.[5] Also if the foul occurs in the penalty area, the referee may award a penalty shot, although frequently with a yellow card on the offending player; a red card and a penalty against the same team are rare.[1]

Posted By: SCC 28 on July 12th 2010 at 16:15:21

Message Thread

Suarez Handball (Other Football) - south, Jul 12, 16:02:26
- If only football was like dandy racket ball........... (Other Football) - pants, Jul 12, 17:02:26
- it's this bit that really annoys me, celebrating because his cheating has worked (Other Football) - samcd84, Jul 12, 16:07:35
  - If it was offside, he shouldn't have even been sent off (Other Football) - pants, Jul 12, 16:48:39
    - Yes but you can always unpick matches like that (Other Football) - Old Git, Jul 12, 16:52:39
      - But it illustrates the folly in the penalty goal idea (Other Football) - yarmyyarmy, Jul 12, 16:56:26
        
        But that's a point about offside, not a point about the penalty goal idea (Other Football) - Old Git, Jul 12, 17:03:23
        
        Well I agree with all that (Other Football) - yarmyyarmy, Jul 12, 17:08:26
        
        Board violation (n/m) (Other Football) - Old Git, Jul 12, 17:15:45
      - I spose. Fair point (Other Football) - pants, Jul 12, 16:55:17
  - Anyone who wouldnt of done the same is (Other Football) - DiscoDaleGordon, Jul 12, 16:29:39
    - It's like when Crouch scored by pulling that Trinidadian's hair back in order for (Other Football) - pants, Jul 12, 16:50:14
      - That doesn't count because it was England and we don't cheat like those (Other Football) - yarmyyarmy, Jul 12, 16:52:53
      - video reffing is the only way forward (n/m) (Other Football) - Worzel Scrimmage, Jul 12, 16:52:27
    - everyone would have celebrated like that? (n/m) (Other Football) - SCC 28, Jul 12, 16:31:16
      - Yes (Not in public view maybe) (n/m) (Other Football) - DiscoDaleGordon, Jul 12, 16:32:35
  - Offside, offside, offside, offside (Other Football) - yarmyyarmy, Jul 12, 16:08:40
    - Cheating Ghana (Other Football) - yarmyyarmy, Jul 12, 16:36:56
    - south americans don't see these things as cheating as such (Other Football) - Worzel Scrimmage, Jul 12, 16:13:48
      - i recall uruuguay having a reputation for cheating (n/m) (Other Football) - SCC 28, Jul 12, 16:17:20
        
        There's a reason for that (Other Football) - yarmyyarmy, Jul 12, 16:27:33
        
        brutality, rather than cheating. (n/m) (Other Football) - Tricky Hawes, Jul 12, 16:26:06
        
        don't they all? (n/m) (Other Football) - Worzel Scrimmage, Jul 12, 16:23:23
        
        not in the 80s (Other Football) - SCC 28, Jul 12, 16:25:06
        
        they've always had a rep for cheating (Other Football) - Worzel Scrimmage, Jul 12, 16:28:13
- It has also been a shame because (Other Football) - pants, Jul 12, 16:06:24
- Jack Charlton 1966 semi final against Portugal (Other Football) - pants, Jul 12, 16:05:24
  - No, because it wasn't a sending off offence then (Other Football) - BerlinCanary, Jul 12, 16:31:10
    - Instinctive my arse (n/m) (Other Football) - Old Git, Jul 12, 16:34:34
      - Iagree with OG here, I don't think it was instinctive (Other Football) - Worzel Scrimmage, Jul 12, 16:40:09
        
        like any player would (Other Football) - Tricky Hawes, Jul 12, 16:42:52
        
        but where would it stop? (Other Football) - Worzel Scrimmage, Jul 12, 16:55:37
        
        It takes great injustices with a lot of public attention to shift the rules (Other Football) - Old Git, Jul 12, 17:17:22
        
        it's still shirking the issue though imo (Other Football) - Worzel Scrimmage, Jul 12, 17:36:48
      - Well, perhaps not (Other Football) - BerlinCanary, Jul 12, 16:37:56
        
        You're right, it was the offside (Other Football) - yarmyyarmy, Jul 12, 16:38:48
  - The Portugeezers scored the penalty anyway (Other Football) - Old Git, Jul 12, 16:18:53
  - didn't they change the rules/punishment during the 90s? (Other Football) - Ralf Scrampton, Jul 12, 16:10:46
    - ... (Other Football) - SCC 28, Jul 12, 16:15:21
- Plucky Africans robbed by cheating South Americans seems to be the theme (Other Football) - yarmyyarmy, Jul 12, 16:04:57
- No doubt you're right, but it's a bit harsh to accuse us over double standards for (Other Football) - Tricky Hawes, Jul 12, 16:04:54

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