FIFA increases referee protection with immediate red card bans

FIFA yesterday moved to protect the authority of referees by announcing that any player who is sent off will have to serve an immediate one-match ban with no right of appeal.

The ruling, announced by FIFA president Sepp Blatter, will be enforced in every league in world. Red-carded players will miss the next match of the competition in which they were sent off, and only be allowed to appeal against extra suspensions imposed above the one-game ban or to claim a case of mistaken identity.

The move will cause major changes in disciplinary procedures in English football, where dismissed players have had 14 days before they have to serve a suspension, and where some have escaped bans by using video evidence.