By Matt Hardy
Sin bins will be trialled in professional football after a meeting of the International Football Association Board approved the measure.
It is hoped that the introduction of the measure, alongside rules whereby only captains can talk to referees, will help to prevent abuse towards match officials.
The decision was made at the IFAB’s annual business meeting in London on Tuesday.
It is understood that temporary sending offs will be used “for dissent and specific tactical offences” while other trials to be introduced include a stricter application of football’s laws when players and coaches are disrespectful to officials and others.
Fifa refereeing chief Pierluigi Collina described abuse towards officials as potentially “the cancer that kills football”.
“The positive message of the meeting is that ‘yes, we’re going to do something in that direction’,” IFAB secretary Lukas Brud told BBC Sport.
“Over the next weeks and months we are going to identify which levels are best to test.
“I’m hoping in the next few months we will have clarity about which competitions will want to trial this as well.
“It’s up to them, competition organisers, to decide whether they want to participate in those trials or not.
“I think it is important to understand that something big like this, and a big decision like that, has to be considered thoroughly when creating protocols and setting up the system to trial it.”
Other topics discussed at yesterday’s meeting included reviewing how handballs in the penalty box are punished and the continued development of semi-automated offside technology.
The scrutiny over changes comes after a tumultuous period of Premier League football in which VAR and dissent have become more controversial topics.
Brighton and Hove Albion’s Lewis Dunk became the first player to be shown a straight red card for dissent in 16 years at the weekend while VAR has been in the spotlight for a number of contentious decisions, including a disallowed Luis Diaz goal against Tottenham Hotspur which should have stood.
On Monday evening Wolves boss Gary O’Neil added to the woes of officials after his side lost 3-2 against Fulham in the Premier League as a result of a 94th minute penalty.
“Maybe tonight has finally turned me against VAR,” he said. “The impact that you are having on my reputation, and the club and people’s livelihoods is massive.
“We should be able to talk about the game and not decisions, but unfortunately we can’t. I think it is a really complex [issue]. I have always been for VAR but I think it is causing problems at the moment. I think VAR has cost us there.”
