Collina supports a «mercy» rule
Who doesn’t remember probably the best referee that has even been? When Pierluigi Collina, appointed head of FIFA match officials, is speaking, everyone listens. In his latest statements, he referenced an «unwritten» rule about the mercy shown by the referees on the field when the difference in the goals scored is too great. This mercy rule requires that the officials should not be rigid about the injury time at the end of the matches when one of the sides is too far ahead. If his recommendation be implemented this will be leading to ground-breaking changes for everyone including all the top European football leagues.
The background for the mercy rule
The Italian legend commented on the quite unexpected and quite surprising outcome of the latest Liverpool – Manchester United confrontation. In the match finished with the astonishing score of 7-0. According to his statement, the referee showed mercy to the visitors by not keeping all of the additional injury time at the end of the match.
The home side scored six out of seven in the second half. They scored goal #6 eight minutes after the goal #5, and goal #7 five minutes after #6. This stands to reason that it could be possible for Liverpool to score one more if the full extra time was kept. The rule says that for each substitution, 30 seconds are added at the end. There were 10 of those, so the minimum injury time should be 5 minutes. Adding other interruptions, at least 8 minutes should be kept. Instead, Andy Madley kept only three.
The unwritten rule or the mercy rule
It is a common practice by almost all officials worldwide, to show mercy to the losing side when the score is higher than 5-0. The concept is to spare the humiliation by the extent of the defeat. Clubs do not appreciate this sort of compassion. This is because according to the rules, they stand to lose or gain a lot based on the goal differential in the case of equal points with another team.
However, Collina suggested in the same interview, that FIFA may consider making this mercy rule official, instead of «unwritten» in the future. Meaning that it will not be in the good graces of a referee to show this kind of mercy. Rather, it will become a matter of regulation. If the suggestion comes through and is implemented this will mean a complete recalibration of the algorithms. Therefore a great change for European and Asian bookmakers which will influence they way the odds are calculated. Consequently, it will have an effect on the profitability of the punters. Only time will tell if that effect is positive or negative.
When it comes to odds, betting mathematics can be difficult to understand. In addition, the internet is overflowing with a variety of “tips and advice” from various individuals. The majority of whom are novice gamblers vying for the most competitive offers. As a result, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by a lot of numbers and get lost, which will ultimately affect how you make decisions. Therefore, it is preferable to rely solely on the online offers of the best bookmakers and, of course, your own intuition.
- Lucy