New Year rule change long overdue - Penalties

Every weekend, controversy still rages about penalty kicks. Even with VAR, it is said, blatant ones aren't being given - or 'soft ones' ARE given. Many matches turn on them. And they shouldn't.

The penalty kick should be abolished for anything except deliberate handball in the penalty area. For shoves and trips in the area ( if actually a foul), a free kick should be awarded from where that foul took place - in the penalty area. If an attacker knows that's all he will get from a dive, he's more likely to stay on his feet to keep the move afloat.

Wouldn't that encourage defenders to shove and trip in the area with impunity ? No, because if the ref thinks a scoring opportunity has been deliberately denied, he can still issue a red card ( but just not a penalty as well).

What I suggest is not ideal, but is the lesser of the evils. It is sickening to see the number of dives in the area, and even more sick to hear respected pundits say an attacker was " entitled to go down ". In other words, to deliberately cheat. Should have been stamped out decades ago.

Posted By: Fudpucker, Jan 1, 10:37:08