Hopefully Scottish League will start a trend

New Scottish Football Association chief executive Gordon Smith should be given a metal for his ambitious scheme to cut out cheating from football. Starting next season, Scottish Premier League refs will begin using video replay evidence to retroactively impose penalties. We’ll now see if the blame on foreign imports at big clubs like Rangers and Celtic turns out true or not.

Smith’s scheme will clamp down on diving and faking injuries. Unfortunately, the project will only begin as a project but will go into effect on January 1, 2008.

Referees will review match footage and can punish a player retrospectively. Smart coaches will expressly forbid this behavior. I hope the retroactive fines are severe as well. A statement made here will quickly spill over to the Premiership and the rest of Europe. UEFA should have already done this within the Champions League.

The new initiative is not just aimed at video evidence. Refs are being told to take stronger action against holding and pushing in the penalty area, mass confrontations, surrounding the referee, and managers out of line.

Good work. Great to see.