IFAB "The never-ending debate about the (so-called) ‘triple punishment" (Joseph Blatter)

"The IFAB treads the fine line between conservation and modernisation with great assurance and has proved the Keeper of the Grail in the most positive sense. It refuses to be knocked off course by short-term (and short-sighted) swings in the public mood. A prime example is the never-ending debate about the (so-called) ‘triple punishment’ for offences in the penalty area - a debate based on a misinterpretation," wrote Joseph Blatter, the president of FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association), in his column in FIFA Weekly on 27/02/2015.

On the occasion of its 129^th annual meeting, held in Craigavad near Belfast (Northern Ireland), 28/02/2015, the IFAB has to take a decision on the "triple punishment", penalty-exclusion-suspension (Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct, misconduct and exclusion), which UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) has proposed to abolish.

"Interpreting the Laws demands intuition and dexterity. The responsibility lies with the referees and their assistants," said Blatter in a column entitled "Intuition trumps changing the Laws".

"Interpreting…