Ex-referee Urs Meier calls for time penalties in football

Longtime FIFA referee Urs Meier calls for time penalties in football. “A time penalty would be incredibly helpful, especially since the yellow card, based on the current game, is not a bad penalty,” said the Swiss Stuttgart newspaper and the Stuttgart News.

The former referee justifies his demand, among other things, with the appearance of the athletes in other sports. “Not only in handball, but also in rugby or American football there is an education in fair play that is striking,” explained Meier, “in football the culture is completely different.”

If the referee could “impose a ten-minute time penalty in the final phase because of unsportsmanlike behavior, a complaint or a delay in the game, a lot would change,” said Meier, who would also welcome a short break for players who need treatment. “If the allegedly injured had to stay outside for a minute, there would definitely be less acting,” Meier suspects.