FA announce 13-strong panel for alleged simulation reviews
Friday 4 August 2017 16:57, UK
The Football Association has revealed the 13-strong pool of former managers, players and referees which will make up panels that review alleged incidents of simulation in the new season.
The panels will be comprised of one representative from each of those groups of professionals, and they will independently review clear cases of what is officially known as "the successful deception of a match official".
If all three members of the panel agree that a player successfully tricked the referee into awarding a penalty or getting a rival sent off, via a straight red card or yellow card that leads to a dismissal, a charge will follow which carries a two-match ban.
The eight former managers and players on the FA list are: Nigel Adkins, Rachel Brown-Finnis, Terry Butcher, Lee Dixon, Alex McLeish, Danny Murphy, Chris Powell and Trevor Sinclair.
The five ex-match officials are: Keren Barratt, Steve Dunn, Mike Mullarkey, Alan Wiley and Eddie Wolstenholme.
These names will only be called upon to review footage from a game when there is an obvious case to answer, and any conflicts of interest the individuals may have in regards to clubs they have played for or managed will be taken into account.
Brown-Finnis, a former England goalkeeper, is the only woman on the list, while several of the former male players on the list are now prominent television pundits, which could mean their views on a case become clear from their post-match comments.
The FA's new crackdown on simulation is based on a similar system that has been working in Scotland for several seasons.
