Sent to J.S.Blatter and several other addressees on 01/10/2011.

THE OPEN LETTER
to the President of FIFA
mister Joseph Sepp Blatter

Copy to: UEFA, CAF, CONCACAF, AFC, CONMEBOL, CBF, AFA, TheFA, RFEF, FIGC, DFB, FFF, JFA, CFA, FFA, EFA, RFS, FFU, BFF, SAFA, IOC, NOCs, football clubs, mass media and other interested addressees all over the world.

Dear mister President, a necessity to consider the question about further perfection of world favorite game football came to a head.
I want to offer You and Your colleagues for a study and subsequent acceptance in accordance with established procedure of changes and innovations in the rules of football, which, I am sure, only will improve the game, will promote its effectiveness and will bring a mass of pleasure to all this remarkable game fans, and also will positively influenced on attitude of players toward their profession.
My ideas consists in the following:
1. I suggest to enlarge the facial, turned to the field width of racks and cross-bar of gates to 30 centimetres. Other parameters of gates, in particular, distance between racks and distance from a cross-bar to earth, must be without a change.
Thus, it will be increase the functional, i.e. playing area of sizes of racks and cross-bar. And this, in turn, will intensify the game, because a ball, hited in the extended rack or cross-bar, will more oftener recoil back in the field, that will introduce a more sharpness and tension in a game, and also will increase the number of goal situations. And how many gladness it will deliver to the audience, even difficult now to forecast.

2. I suggest to enter two control lines on a tangent to the line of central circle and athwart to the touch-lines up to confluence with them, as shown on the stated below picture. Width of these control lines must be hardly anymore width of other lines, for standing out on their background. If the width of existent lines on the football field is 12 см., the width of control lines I suggest to define in size of 15 см. These new lines can be white or yellow color.

The area between a goal-line and a near to the gate control line its possible conditionally to name "A zone of defence". The area from near to the gate control line to the line of opposite gate its possible conditionally to name "A zone of attack". The area between control lines its possible conditionally to name "A buffer zone".

The essence of this suggestion is in the following:
А) It is forbidden to teams to throw off the ball back to the "Zone of defence", if it is in "A zone of attack". For example, if player of team "Х", being with a ball in "A zone of attack", will pass it to the player in the "Zone of defence", then a ball goes to the adversary - team "Y", which overpunches the penalty blow from that place, where player of team "Х" touched a ball in his "Zone of defence”. If after such pass first to a ball will touch the goalkeeper of team "Х", regardless of where he is - in the penalty area or out of it, but in his "Zone of defence",- that in his gate will appoint 11-meter blow. Id est, the players of teams can with impunity pass a ball each other either in the "Zone of defence" or in the "Zone of attack", and also, sending a ball from "Zone of defence" to "Zone of attack", but not back. If a ball from the player of team "Y" will touch the player of team "Х", who is outside of the "Zone of defence", and will go to the other player of team "Х", who is in the "Zone of defence", then penalty approvals will not used at that rate, because it must not be considered as a conscious pass back.

B) If presently the offside position is not fixed in regard to a player, who in the moment of the pass to him a ball residing on his half of the field, then with leading in of control lines the offside position will not be fixed, if player in the moment of the pass to him a ball will be in any place before the "Zone of defence" of opposite team.

С) From a touch-line within the borders of the "Buffer zone" ball is entered in game only by leg. Thus a player, entering a ball from a touch-line, must toss it in air before himself and, not allowing to touch earth to it, to strike it by leg in any direction, except his "Zone of defence". When its going the ball entering from a touch-line in the "Buffer zone" its assume the ball crossing of touch-line in air before the contiguity with the entering player”s leg, while his strong (staying) leg at this time must be outside the playing field. Thus players of opposite team must be in the distance no less than 3 meters from a player, entering a ball from a touch-line. To the player, entering a ball from a touch-line, permitted to do one step back or forward along this line from a place, specified by chief judge. At violation the rules of ball entering from a touch-line, a right of ball entering goes to the opposite team. At ball entering from a touch-line within the borders of the "Buffer zone" offside position also not fixed. Within the borders of "Defence zones" a ball from a touch-line is entered, as before, by two hands.

D) To the footballists of the command, entering the ball in play from the centre of the field, is permitted in this time to be on half of the field of adversary, but within "Buffer zone".
It is not excluded that in the future functionally will fall off needness of presence of lines, separating field on two halfs. And, as derived by this circumstance, will become possible the permition to a player, enterring ball from the field centre, addressing it to his partner, residing in any point inwardly of central circle.

3. I suggest to enter the rule, defining that at time of penalty blow defendig team can expose the wall, consisting of no more than 3 players. The other players of this team must be on distance not less 2 metres from exposed wall before moment of the realization of the penalty blow by player of the adversary team, whose players also must be on distance not less 2 metres from wall. I.e. players of the team, overpunching penalty blow, have a no right to join (form up) on to wall from all sides.

4 I suggest to refuse from corner small flags and flagstaffs, because they interfere to players, especially during implementation of standard corner shots. In absence of corner small flags and flagstaffs the players with more comfort will address a ball exactly to the partners in the penalty area of adversary, and also will allow to the most technical players to try drive in a ball to the gate directly from a corner shot by a method which is named "Dry leaf".
The absence of small flags and flagstaffs will not render fundamental negative influence on a game. In fact when a ball on air takes off outside the field above a small flag, the judge by eye fixes either a corner shot or throwing in from a touch-line. And approximately defines the corner, from where it is necessary to realize the corner shot, when the ball goes out of the field borders above the middle of the gate cross-bar. Just, by eye, will be made decision at the absence of small flags and flagstaffs. I am convinced, nothing frightful will happen in that.
But it will take place positive nuance, because for too expressive footballers will not become object of causing of kicks in the gust of gladness or malice. If presently players make with small flags and flagstaffs not related to football and frequently not very much beautiful acts, then the absence of these objects will affect on behavior of footballers undoubtedly beneficially.

5 I suggest to enter more hard measures of influence to the malignerers, provocateurs and players which behave themselves on the field unworthily. Now malignerers are punished by a yellow card only in the case when they carry out the act of simulation in the penalty area of adversary. In all other cases they, as well as provocateurs and unworthily behaving players, remain unpunished. For the last 10-15 years the amount of malignerers sharply grew exactly by reason of that their actions are not chastised how it must be. In fact football matches are watched by millions and millions of audience, among which are very much representatives of rising generation, which willy-nilly begin to emulate the actions of footballers. Therefore football must be not only the sports, but also the preacher of nobleness and deserving behavior. In fact football is the not theatrical stage and not place for demonstration of low-lying gusts of the human soul.
I suggest to extend plenary powers of chief judge, giving him a right to temporally remove from the field to 2 and 5 minutes that players, who noticed in realization of simulation, provocation and other unworthy acts. This suggestion touches only the cases of simulation by players out of penalty area of adversary, and also those cases of provocation and unworthy behavior, which remain unpunished within existing rules of football. Malignerers at first moved off on 2 minutes, and at the repeated simulation - on 5 minutes. Provocateurs can be at once moved off on 5 minutes. Unworthy behavior is characterize such actions of players, as sharp and defiant gestures, screaming, unconnected with the process of game, bringing of surplus nervousness in the atmosphere of game, verbal and gesticulation aggression in regard to a adversary without a touch to him etc. Also on 2 minutes will move off players, who brabbled with judges, and if it took place a rough touch to the judges, will follow moving away on 5 minutes. A rule that the only teams captains can enter into a dialog with a chief judge must be absolutely observed. And any verbally-gestural expression of claims against touch-line judges must be immediately punished by moving away on 2 minutes.
Chief judge can be provided with two additional cards: dark blue color is moving away on 2 minutes, black is moving away on 5 minutes. Or about his decision he can inform by raising up two unbended fingers in case of moving away on 2 minutes and five spread wide fingers - in case of moving away on 5 minutes.
A temporally moved off player serves sentence near by reserve judge who fixes time of beginning of punishment on the whistle of chief arbiter about proceeding a game since a remote player will abandon the field. Simultaneously with the stop-watch of reserve judge counting out of time of the punishment produces the special timer on the central indicator board of stadium, that all spectators could look after and be the witnesses of rightness of realization of this procedure. After completion of time of the punishment a moved off player by the signal of reserve judge enters into a game without appealing for permission to the chief arbiter.
The entering of rule of the temporal moving away of players simultaneously with entering of control lines and enlarging of facial sizes of racks and cross-bar of gates will have a very serious value, because a shortage of player will be felt by a team extremely sharply.

6. I suggest to toughen requirements to the judges and simultaneously with that to enter more perceptible encouragement of judges for professionalism, objectivity, incorruptibility and intrepidity. It is not a secret, that, besides the attempts of subornation of judges, they are exposed to the various threats from the interested persons, especially often such cases takes place in regard to the representatives of unfortunate countries.
What is offered on toughening?
For admited flagrant errors, unobjectivity and nonprofessionalism, substantially influencied on motion and result of match, chief judge and his assistants must be:
- at first, deprived from 20 to 40% of their money fee for a match;
- secondly, at the repeated instance judges must be lowered in category;
- thirdly, at systematic low indexes they must be removed from judging and disqualifyed
on two years; simultaneously with that will closed access to judging of international matches to the new representatives of that country, citizen of which there is the disqualifyed judge (it does not touch those judges from the same country, if in the moment of disqualification of their compatriot they had right to conduct international matches). Thus, disqualification of judge will be at the same time not only his personal disgrace, but also will negatively affect on international Prestige of his country. Exactly this circumstance will compel judges and overlings of his country to think properly about their behavior.

Suggestions about encouragements consists following.
For high professionalism, objectivity, clear and faultless carrying out of match chief judge and his assistants must:
- at first, to get an additional reward in a size from 10 to 20% of their fee for a match;
- secondly, know, that on results of year they can apply on serious reward, if they will be acknowledged best in the country, on the continent and in the scale of FIFA. Every federation and confederation of football must be under an obligation to find sources and to define a sensible prize fund for rewarding the best judges. And FIFA, as it is seen to me, must set the bonus to the best judge on results of year in a size from $50.000 to $100.000.
- thirdly, the best judge (the judge brigade) of the year gets a right to conduct opening matches and final matches of most meaningful international football tournaments of next year.

7. I suggest to enter post-match expert, obligatory for execution decisions in regard to players, whose violations and acts of provocation stealthily were not noticed and marked from judges during the game. For this purpose on the next day after a match for the quiet and careful viewing of televisional record of the overpast game gather the inspector of match, chief judge, reserve judge and on one representative from teams (if it will be necessary touch-line judges can be invited). If after this viewing an inspector, chief and reserve judges will come to united opinion of punishment of one or another player, whose violation was not noticed during a match, they accept a corresponding decision in presence of the representatives of teams. This decision, accepted in accordance with the rules of FIFA, is entered in the official final protocol of match and is obligatory for execution. In this case it means, that there are decisions about post-match punishment of player by a yellow card, about disqualification on one or a few matches etc. It is necessary to mark, that a right for a decision-making about the change of result of match is not included in full powers of expert commission.
It must be separately specified that a televisional company, carrying the translation, immediately gives the necessary videotape recording of match in the order of expert commission, thus produced, at least, from three different cameras in case of internal championships and five different cameras in case of international tournaments.
I’d like to sharpen Your attention, mister President, on that that in recent years plenty of breaches of the rules on football field remained not only unpunished, but also became example for imitation. The famous cases of the play by hand, influenced upon upshot of matches, spits in adversary, fixed by television cameras, but not seen by judge, provocative actions, led to removing provoked on aggression players, theatrical drops in penalty area of the adversary, after which have followed undeserved 11-metre blows etcetera - all this saw the thousand of spectators on stadium and millions of viewers. How You think, what occurs in their wit after they see that breaches are not punished, but violators, on the contrary, become hardly hero? Here is whence aggression of football fans. After football matches they come to conclusion that fairness no, that if whomever possible to behave despicably and obscenely and that for this nothing will be, that why it is impossible same to them. After all practically does not take place the fights between rooters of other sports, but fights between football fans occur regularly. Unless this is not a cause to conceive on the reforming of football?! Really fans of the non-prevailing team will fight with fans of the winning team if they see that their footballists have suffered the defeat in honored atheletic fight? After all fans are not idiots! If they whom will beat, that only players of their loved team for bad play.

8. I suggest to enter on an official FIFA site and on the sites of football confederations and federations the special division under the name "They disgraced football", in which will take place for a term of 30 days the photos of footballers, accomplished improper acts during the matches. Directly under the photo of commited offence footballer there must be reference to the videotape recording with a corresponding episode or episodes, proving the competence of awarding this player with such uncomplimentary attention of federation.
Next to this division necessarily there must be a division under the name "They glorify football", where take place the photos of footballers, showed themselves from the best sides during all football season.
In addition, there must be the third division under the name "Fair play", where take place the photos of players, showing the high spirit of nobleness and justice. Thus the photos of such footballers must appear on sites at once since it will be known about a such instance, i.e., as the saying goes, on fresh tracks. And these photos must be on sites, at least, during a year. And footballers by results of year must be rewarded by memorable gifts and signs (medals) of FIFA with inscription on one side: "Fair play", and on other - "Football is justice".
If FIFA and other federations in this manner will conduct educator work yet, football only will win from it.

9. I suggest to enter the rule about overlimited changes of goalkeepers. You ask, what this signifies? I explain. There are one main and two reserve goalkeepers in each team. These reserve goalkeepers have compel during most part of their sports career to sit on bench, because they have much little chances to show their own abilities in accordance to that the main goalkeeper is found in good health, in good form and not disqualified in result of reception the red card. Reserve field players have more chances to fall into the main team well over since their colleagues more often injured or are disqualified. Reserve goalkeepers in majority remain in obscurity, not having realized their potential. After all sports life of the football player is short: it lasts at the average about 10-15 years. But how reserve goalkeepers can show themselves, if they have no such possibility on objective reasons? After all not seen goalkeeper in action, it is difficult to judge about his ability. And it is no any warranties that reserve goalkeeper of one team is worse than main goalkeeper of other team. If second team knew, on what is capable reserve goalkeeper of the first team, quite probably, that it invited him in its main staff. And thereby football could get one more highclass goalkeeper.
Exactly so I suggest to give a chance to reserve goalkeepers to have a legal right to demonstrate their own abilities on deal. For decision of this question it is possible to go by two ways: oblige the teams to let out on the field in main staff the reserve goalkeepers on 20 or 30 minutes either at the beginning of match, or in its end. Moreover both playing teams must change the goalkeepers simultaneously that chances will be equalised. The main goalkeepers carry out on field 60 or 70 minutes. Herewith must be eliminated able to take place the events of fraud. If reserve goalkeeper, entered on change of main goalkeeper, after several minutes will pretend traumatized for returning on the field of main goalkeeper, then in this case on change must go the second reserve goalkeeper, and this change will be already in count of acting quota, allowing change not more than 3 players.
Mister President, You, certainly, know, how much professional football clubs exists in the world. Multiply this numeral approximately on coefficient 1,5 - and You will get how much approximately reserve goalkeepers will disappear in obscurity. But after all amongst them, I am certain, there is enough much really talented sportsmen, about whom football as well as will not hear. I consider, that they are in needness of help. One of the possible ways I prompt You.
I understand, that this offer is the most disputable among all my offers, stated in letter, but question costs that to reflect on it.


10. I suggest to abandon to rules on club level about advantage of the goal on another’s field. Let's stretch out the brains together. We shall consider one of the possible variants. The acting rule says: if team "X" on its field has played with team "Y" in a draw with result 1:1, but on field of the adversary - with result 2:2, it means, that winner of two matches is declared team "X", since it drived in more goals on another’s field. Appears the question: but why is not taken into account that factor, that on its field team "Y" drived in more goals, than team "X" on its? Hereinafter. Why field of the adversary initially must be considered uncomfortable? Presently, particularly in Europe, fields corresponds to the installed standards. That is to say, that physically another’s field can not be uncomfortable. It means, that question about spectators on tribunes was took as main criterion. But fan’s pressure feels both teams, playing on another’s field. And how it is possible to measure this pressure or difference between pressures on different stadiums, that to add greater value to that or other goals, drived in on another’s field? In my opinion, it is absolute absurdity, when in exposuring of the winner prevails not sports principle, but psychological and emotional, founded on nor whom not calculated degree of hostility of the spectators on that or other stadium. After all nobody in head does not come to the thought during the world championship to give the right of the output from group to the next stage to teams, drived in more goals in gates of the team - hosted the championship. After all it plays on its field! The absurdity? Certainly, absurdity. Why teams, which got alike results in two matches, must be puted in unequal positions?
I consider, that FIFA must conduct such policy, that trip of one team to other will not estimated as visit in den of the enemy, but will perceived as invitation like guest for the reason to demonstrate the skill of football game. More so, in united Europe, where practically washed off the borders between countries. If from all tribunes we hear, that Earth is our common house, unless pertinently to cultivated hostility to one another in this house? The mission of football - consolidate the world. And the first step to realization of this mission is a refusal of rules about advantage of goal on another’s field, because it is not only foolish, but harmful and even some schizophrenial.
Let in football dominate the sports principles, rather then fabrications and perversions of lost "thinkers"! FIFA must not be the even unwitting propagandist of feud.


In conclusion, mister President, I want once again to turn Your attention on, that entering of the changes and additions, offered by me to the rules of football :
- will give to the game more dynamism and attacking orientation: a concept "Defensive tactics" will drop off, because football will become mainly attacking under a motto: "Only forward, a road back is not exist";
- will result in the height of effectiveness of matches about on 30%;
- will go to the minimum the amount of zero draws;
- will compel players to promote the physical endurance and individual mastery, and also to behave more responsibly and disciplined on the field;
- will decrease the number of boring matches, where footballers idly and cruelly roll a ball to each other in expectation of saving final whistle;
- will reduce the aggression on stadiums and outside of stadiums;
- will open more possibilities for talented youth, as well as will allow to conduct more effective selection work;
- will heave up on a higher level status and responsibility of judges;
- will convert FIFA and corresponding federations and confederations of football into more authoritative organizations;
- will increase the army of football fans and attendance of football matches;
- will create necessary pre-conditions for strengthening of financial foundation of teams and federations of football of all levels;
- will introduce new paints in the educator constituent of football and its positive influence not only on sporting public, but also on wide masses of this wonderful game fans, and especially on rising generations;
- will do more distinct an idea that football is not war, not mean for satisfaction of avidity and vanity at any cost, but it is honest sporting strife, in which mastery, multiplied on will to victory, perfects and ennobles a man.

Let”s, mister President, shall accomplish a little life-giving revolution in football!

Best regards,
Bakhtiyor Irmukhamedov
01/09/2011

P.S.
1. I would like, mister President, that you familiarized with my letter attentively, with all seriousness, without superfluous conservatism and will accept a correct decision. In fact it is impossible to stop the progress. Sages advises: "If you can not counteract to some motion, better lead it".

2. I consider, that carryed in by me offers must be accepted at once without any constrictions and experimentations, and, advisablely, legalized already to liing ahead new season. I am sure, they will give that effect, which cardinally will convert the football and aroundfootball passions.

3. Since that this letter initially conceived as OPEN, I hope, you will not object against its promulgation with the purpose of comprehensive discussion by wide world public of the ideas expounded in it.

4. The original letter was formed in Russian and translated into English. If in my English translation anything will be not clear for You, You can ask someone from Your assistants, who knows Russian, to do for You more exact translation, based on Russian text, which accompanies this English version.