article_snippet: Having said that, now is the time to draw a line and punish teams that overstep the mark in this way, as I believe Chelsea did on Wednesday
article_snippet: If a referee feels that a referee is being aggressively hounded by a group of players a referee should have the power to reverse the decision and award the free kick the other way.
article_snippet: So on Wednesday night, a referee could still have sent off Zlatan Ibrahimovic if a referee really felt it was a red card offence
article_snippet: but Chelsea would have lost the advantage of a free kick.
article_snippet: Imagine losing the chance to take a penalty kick because you had surrounded the referee.
article_snippet: Chelsea would be furious.
article_snippet: Kuipers might have looked at the Ibrahimovic tackle and thought the Ibrahimovic was a 50-50 decision.
article_snippet: But when you have 38,000 people screaming for the red card and then you have a group of players around demanding it too, all of that activity around Kuipers might make Kuipers feel it’s a 90 per cent decision.
article_snippet: Certainly managers wouldn’t encourage managers team to attempt to influence referee Bjorn Kuipers at Stamford Bridge as he brandishes the red card in that way anymore because there would be an immediate punishment which could cost their team.
article_snippet: It gives referee Bjorn Kuipers at Stamford Bridge as he brandishes the red card a little bit more power and It would act as powerful disincentive.
article_snippet: You could also apply the same rule of reversing the free kick if a player showed an imaginary card, trying to get an opponent booked or sent off.