Blatter's sledgehammer dictatorship

Chaos at FIFA House, confusion around the world. If Sepp Blatter thought his sudden change to the red card laws would improve the game he appears to run like a dictatorship, those who will suffer as a consequence are inclined to disagree. In the next few days the Football Association will discover how they must go about dismantling what many consider the perfect disciplinary system.

Right now, a suspension begins 14 days after a player has been sent off, allowing adequate time for the appeal process to run its course. If a conclusion is reached that the referee made a mistake, no ban will be served. Blatter has taken a sledgehammer to that and wiped out the facility for a period of reflection.

In so doing, FIFA's president has removed the safety net that protects a footballer from basic human error. Now any red card will be followed by an immediate one-match ban - unless, that is, the referee has identified the wrong player or promptly admitted to making a mistake. There will still be a right of appeal if the offence merits more than a one-match ban but, thanks to Blatter, a player who wins his appeal is likely to have missed a game before having the red card rescinded.

Blatter said: 'If a player commits a foul and is sent off, then no scientific evidence, whether camera or other, will change the decision.' The FA's head of refereeing, John Baker, described the change as a 'bombshell' yesterday, adding: 'Our line has always been that justice has got to be seen to be done. That's why the video panel was introduced to try to ensure transparency. It meant that if justice was not seen to be done, action could be taken either way.'

Blatter has made this remarkable change as a result of something that happened in a Swiss league game last month when Grasshopper goalkeeper Fabrice Borer was sent off for bringing down Basle striker Herve Tum. However, the Swiss league's disciplinary commissioner ruled that it was an unfair dismissal and Borer played in the next game. The decision sparked controversy in Switzerland, persuading an infuriated Blatter to introduce the new laws.

Blatter's critics consider it symptomatic of a blinkered, predominantly Swiss regime that has driven out many of its more qualified employees. Had Michel Zen-Ruffinen, a former senior referee, still been FIFA's general secretary, one suspects this might not have happened.