The English Football Association unveiled a new disciplinary code this week designed to punish players quicker and allow faster appeals procedures to ensure greater transparency in the way footballers are punished.
The idea was initiated by the FA’s chief executive, Mark Palios, with the former players’ union official Brendon Batson brought in to conduct a review on how procedures could be improved.
The code, which will be given a year’s trial in the Premier League, Football League and Football Conference National, will lead to players being suspended immediately rather than waiting two weeks before suspensions come into force, unless a claim for wrongful dismissal or mistaken identity is lodged by a club.
Any appeal must be registered by noon of the next working day after the match, with the FA promising to settle disputes within four or five working days.
A player will remain available for selection while an appeal is pending.
The change in procedure brings the FA into line with Fifa regulations and deals with on-field incidents not seen by match officials but caught on video, as well as incidents seen by the referee but out of his jurisdiction, such as the failure of a player to leave the field after being shown a red card or incidents after the final whistle.
Players charged with any of these offences could face disciplinary action within two or three days.
The FA has been criticised for dragging out disciplinary issues over several weeks — notably the charging of Arsenal and Manchester United players after their fractious fixture at Old Trafford last September — and clubs have been warned that appeals must be submitted as soon as possible.
A four-member disciplinary commission will adjudicate on incidents and appeals. It will comprise three FA officials plus one member who will be chosen from a panel of six made up of former football administrators and former professionals.
The three ex-professionals who have been chosen are Gary Mabbutt, Robbie Earle and the former England manager Graham Taylor.
Video panels will be discontinued, with all matters now being dealt with by the disciplinary commission.
Batson, unveiling the code, said: ‘These new procedures will benefit the game all round. They will prevent unnecessary delays and we are hopeful that, once we have made the new rules clear to clubs and players, there will be better behaviour on the field.
‘We feel that these are procedures that can work. We have looked at all the legal aspects and want to ensure that players are properly and fairly represented and that matters are dealt with quickly.â€
The FA also warned clubs that, if clubs look to lodge appeals to ensure players can be selected for crucial games, punishments may be increased.
Batson said: ‘There will be penalties for frivolous appeals or abuse of the process. The disciplinary commission will have the right to increase penalties if clubs are found to be abusing the system.†—