Change in Appeals on Bans from FIFA
By James Hegarty
September 24 2002
The rule will be made for every league in the world is to protect officials who have been accused of cheating after an appeal has been won.
The player will automatically miss the next match they play in the same competition in which they were sent off and the only way the player can play in the next match and escape the automatic ban is if the referee admits he was wrong on the descion.
Appeals wont be wiped out all together though and they can be made after a first one match ban is made.
Each different football association can change the rules to the way they want and can choose whether to change a 2 match ban for a bad foul to a 1 match ban.
This will make sure players don't use the rules of appeal to there own advantage to try and get off with the suspension and to make an important match.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter had the following to say: "From now on any player who is sent off will automatically miss the next match in the same competition.
"The only exception is if the referee admits a case of mistaken identity or says he made the wrong decision or an honest mistake.
"We have to protect the authority of the referee which is the foundation stone of the game. If people start casting doubts on the referee they start casting doubts on football.
"The decision has no space for speculation. The player has to serve his one-match suspension immediately unless the wrong player has been sent off."
The new ruling will start from next month.