Snoods outlawed

Soon to be a fashion statement of the past, the snood-wearers of Arsenal

Thank goodness commonsense has prevailed and the International Football Association Board has just announced that neck-warming snoods will be outlawed from 1 July. It certainly saves us here in Cambodia in having to endure the ridiculous sight of players keeping their necks warm, though the need for them in Phnom Penh is much less than in the chilly climes of London, where many of the Arsenal team have taken to them with gusto. However, I'm sure we'll continue to see Metfone C-League players wearing long-sleeve gloves, the ones that ladies wear to keep the sun off their bare arms, which is a peculiar adornment only seen in Cambodia that I'm aware of. The IFAB also agreed to continue the trial of vanishing spray, used by referees to measure the distance a defensive wall must stand from a free-kick. The spray, being used in South America, marks out a white line which disappears after 30 seconds. Also goal-line technology is being looked at again, whilst two goal-line referee assistants will be used in Euro 2012, making it six referees in place for any one game. Talk about too many cooks in a kitchen. I must admit I abhor all of these additional add-on's to the game I love. Football is a simple game which the administrators (many of whom have never played the game other than in the playground) keep seeking to tamper with. But I appreciate I'm in the minority in the face of so-called progress.