No plans to change fair play rule: FIFA

MOSCOW: FIFA said it had no plans to change its fair play criteria that allowed Japan to qualify for the last 16 of the World Cup at the expense of Senegal in controversial circumstances.Japan and Senegal were both locked on four points in Group H with identical goal differences and the same number of goals scored, but the Asian side went through to the next round on Thursday after collecting fewer yellow cards in the group stage.In a farcical end to Japan’s 1-0 loss to Poland, the Japanese players slowed to walking pace and hardly a single tackle was made. Both teams were booed from the pitch in Volgograd. It sparked comparisons with the infamous 1982 World Cup match between West Germany and Austria, where both teams played out a mutually beneficial 1-0 win for Germans. “This is the first time (the fair play rule) has been used in a senior World Cup in this way. Obviously what we want to avoid is the drawing of lots,” Colin Smith, FIFA’s chief tournament and event officer, said Friday. “We believe teams should go forward on their performance and what happens on the pitch, not what happens in a draw pool.

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