What's one thing from another sport that you'd like to see in football? FFT followers have their say...

By
published

We're all getting into the Olympic spirit - can football learn something from other sports?

Gareth Bale
(Image credit: Future)

Football is just one of many events at the Olympics. It can be easy to overlook too - we've just had the Euros, after all. 

While some of us spend all our days simply watching football of any level, others watch any sport that's on TV. As a nation, Britain is perhaps unique in that while football is the clear national game, there are huge interests in so many different sports. England is, after all, the only nation to win the football, cricket and rugby World Cup.

So we thought we'd ask you on Twitter which lessons football should be taking from other games. Sin bins? Decision challenges? Walk-on music? Cheerleaders?

We got some great suggestions. Others we're not quite sold on... 

Perhaps the most popular answer we received was the idea of a sin bin. We're not sure if referees need another possible variable to their jobs but it would certainly be fun to see...

This is something we need for the Champions League. Just to see Sergio Ramos in his rightful environment. 

We're pretty sure Matt Le Tissier would have more Premier League "points" than Alan Shearer if this was the law. 

We can see it now. Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw team up to dispossess Mohamed Salah on Liverpool's right-wing by sandwiching their boats between him and nicking the ball before he hits the rapids. 

This one actually made it to the MLS. It was it unbelievably weird to watch. 

This could make trips to the football with your mates particularly awkward. 

Only if your club are good. It could be a very slippery slope if you're downing pints to cheer yourself up.

We're not sure what kind of implementation of this rule we like most. The players can hit the ball with them? They can hit each other with them? Or they just have to play football completely as they did before, just holding baseball bats? Either way, we're here for it. 

See also: Mike Dean shouting "Let's play Premier League!" before a game. 

In theory, yes. But in Ajax's 2020 Europa League match against Getafe, the ball was in play for just  42 minutes and 36 seconds. Some of us actually want to go home... 

Kids out on the streets doing trick shots with their snooker cues, wanting to emulate the likes of Stephen Hendry and Jadon Sancho.

This would make fierce derbies all the more watchable. 

Another popular answer, here. For everyone who likes fair play in football, however, there's something to be said for an absolute pantomime villain arguing with every decision an official makes... 

This would be fantastic. FIFA, you know what to do. 

Imagine your captain getting outpaced by a ballboy. That's a sight we have to see. 

If Cristiano Ronaldo ever got injured, he would demand to go back on just to take a penalty. 

Answers on a postcard for which player you'd want your club to sign just for this.  

Subscribe to FourFourTwo today and get a FREE England Euro 96 shirt!

READ NEXT

OLYMPIC FOOTBALL What would a men's Team GB football side look like?

TOKYO 2020 Team GB Olympics 2020 football squad: full women's team

TEAM GB All the fixtures for Team GB's women's football team

Mark White
Mark White
Content Editor

Mark White is the Digital Content Editor at FourFourTwo. During his time on the brand, Mark has written three cover features on Mikel Arteta, Martin Odegaard and the Invincibles, and has written pieces on subjects ranging from Sir Bobby Robson’s time at Barcelona to the career of Robinho. An encyclopedia of football trivia and collector of shirts, he first joined the team back in 2020 as a staff writer.